An investigation in Morocco uncovers three properties: the Netherlands demands 177,226 euros from her
An investigation conducted in Morocco revealed that a beneficiary of Dutch social assistance had owned three properties and collected rental income without declaring it. Her municipality can recover 177,226.12 euros paid over nearly twelve years, the courts have just confirmed.
The case concerns a woman residing in Hoofddorp who had been receiving social assistance since 2007. Following anonymous reports indicating that she owned property in Morocco, the municipality of Haarlemmermeer referred the matter to the Internationaal Bureau Fraude-informatie (IBF), the Dutch body responsible for facilitating asset investigations abroad.
Checks carried out in Morocco through the social affairs attaché at the Dutch embassy revealed three properties. The woman had been their owner or co-owner and had also received income from renting them out, according to a decision issued on 28 August 2026 and published on 2 September by the North Holland District Court.
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She had declared neither these properties nor the rental income to the municipality, even though this information was necessary to determine her entitlement to social assistance. In the Netherlands, municipalities can initiate a specific procedure to search for property held in Morocco.
Nearly twelve years of benefits cancelled
The municipality retroactively cancelled her entitlement to social assistance for the period from 1 September 2009 to 16 September 2021. It is demanding exactly 177,226.12 euros from her. Adding earlier claims, the beneficiary’s total debt to Haarlemmermeer amounts to 191,027.21 euros.
Before the court, the woman challenged the reliability of the documents obtained in Morocco. In particular, she argued that a signature appearing on a notarial deed was invalid, that she no longer owned certain properties and that part of the family assets had remained jointly owned, without her being able to actually dispose of them.
The court rejected these arguments. It considers that the investigation was conducted with sufficient care and that the Moroccan documents bore the required signatures and stamps. The fact that some properties are no longer registered in her name today does not alter their ownership during the period under review.
The beneficiary also refused to cooperate with an expert assessment intended to establish the exact value of the properties. The authorities were therefore unable to determine, even approximately, her assets or verify whether she would have retained an entitlement to part of the benefits. According to the judges, the consequences of this lack of information remain her responsibility.
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The woman also cited serious psychological disorders, including post-traumatic stress and depression, in requesting that the claim be abandoned. The court acknowledges the reality of her health problems but considers that no direct link with the recovery proceedings was demonstrated.
The municipality did not, however, completely stop her assistance. It maintained the payments from 17 September 2021, notably to avoid serious social consequences, while deducting 60.83 euros per month to repay the debt.
The appeal was ultimately dismissed. The cancellation of nearly twelve years of benefits and the recovery of 177,226.12 euros are therefore confirmed.