'I'm like Robin Hood', says accused

The case first came to light at the beginning of 2019, when the CNS found that funds had been embezzled by two of its employees, leading to their suspension and subsequent charges.

During the opening of her trial on Monday, the former CNS employee, now 56 years old, admitted her involvement, stating, "it was my idea to transfer the money and split it fifty-fifty." Initially, the embezzlement started with smaller sums, with the defendant explaining that she needed money after her divorce. She collaborated with a childhood friend, now 53, using his social security number to make transfers for fictitious medical services, with the agreement that he would pay her half the amount. It worked well for the first few years: "It was a bit like a cupboard full of chocolates, where you could help yourself as you liked," the accused told the police. However, the embezzled amounts gradually became bigger and bigger.

At some point, perhaps in an attempt to make the scheme less obvious, their respective spouses' numbers were also used in the fraud. The spouses are also standing trial, although the accused maintains they were unaware of the scheme. "I'm like Robin Hood," she said, "and I distributed the money." A comparison that the judge did not appreciate.

The judge questioned how the spouses failed to notice that there was suddenly more money in the household accounts. "We didn't have a lavish lifestyle," the accused responded. It is worth noting that a sum of €1.2 million had been deposited into her account over the almost ten-year period (from 2009 to 2018) that the fraud lasted. Investigators found luxury items such as expensive watches and bags at the home of her friend, considered to be an accomplice in the affair. According to the defendant, he had owned such items prior to the fraudulent activities. At the same time, she also claimed that he struggled financially.

But how is it possible that this fraud did not come to light for so long?

The former employee, who had served at the CNS for 35 years, revealed that there were practically no internal controls. This assertion was supported by both a CNS employee and an investigator from the criminal investigation department. The woman knew the system well and "basically also acted as her own supervisor," according to the investigator. Fictitious medical services were introduced into the system to facilitate automatic reimbursements to beneficiaries.

The first doubts about reimbursements apparently arose internally at the CNS at the end of 2018. But the entire scheme only unravelled when a student found a document in a copy machine in which the beneficiary was different from the actual patient. The student then asked his work colleagues for advice, leading to the exposure of the affair.