Court employee could face 4 years in prison for selling info to criminals

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) recommended a four-year prison sentence against 35-year-old Sana C. at the court in Zwolle on Wednesday, one year of which is suspended. The woman from Woerden reportedly confessed to selling confidential data from court systems while working at the court in Amsterdam. She is also accused of extorting nearly 100,000 euros from a man over a two-year period.

The woman sold the information to a man she was introduced to through a niece. This man was a suspect in multiple explosions and acts of arson in The Hague, as well as a shooting at a house in Waalwijk. C. worked at the information desk of the court and had access to various systems. She was arrested on March 10, 2025, after police traced her in another investigation.

The OM says C. is not regarded as an accomplice to the underlying crimes linked to the man who received the information. That man is believed to be in Morocco, but has not been located. Prosecutors are also pursuing charges against the niece for her involvement in the case.

C. told the court that a gambling addiction drove her to sell the information, earning between 500 and 700 euros per case. The man she is accused of blackmailing was someone she described as a gambling partner.

She sent thousands of messages in which she threatened him and his family, including his children, according to the OM. In total, he transferred money 270 times and, prosecutors say, repeatedly had to gather together his last funds to comply. C. expressed remorse in court for what she did to him. The victim has also filed a claim to recover the money within the criminal case against her.

By selling information from court systems, C. has “undermined trust in the judiciary,” according to the prosecutor. “Integrity is not an optional quality but a basic requirement for anyone working at a court.” C. also used the systems for personal searches, including queries about public figures in the Netherlands and their relatives.

The OM is also seeking a seven-year ban from practicing the profession, as well as mandatory outpatient treatment, alongside the prison sentence. The defense lawyer requested that the court impose a sentence matching the time already served in pre-trial detention, combined with a significant suspended part of the punishment.

A ruling in the case is expected on May 27.