An employee of the national railway operator NMBS embezzled more than €1 million from the company over five years by issuing false invoices for Train World, the NMBS’s railway museum. The woman was convicted of forgery and embezzlement of public funds.
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Railway employee embezzled €1m in public funds through falsified invoices
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The woman worked in the accounting department of the NMBS and was responsible for the finances of the museum in Schaarbeek, Brussels. She drew up invoices for cleaning work and communication services that were supposed to have been provided to Train World. No cleaning was carried out and the services listed on the invoices were never ordered or delivered.
She put her own account number on the invoices so that the money was paid to her and not the companies on the invoices. Between 2016 and 2021, she embezzled €1.06 million in public funds.
“I’m ashamed of it,” she said in an interview with VRT journalists. “I only really realised what I had done when I was sitting in front of the police.” She said she had been going through a difficult period in her private life and struggled with burnout.
For five years, there were €200,000 euros in false invoices. That’s a fifth of the budget. And nobody noticed. Do you think that’s normal?
Her managers paid little attention to her, she says, and she found an “outlet” in her gambling addiction, playing roulette online. The fraud came to light in the month that she retired.
She and other sources point to the lack of control over Train World’s invoices. “I could draw up, check, approve and sign the invoices myself. I was responsible from A to Z,” she says. Another source confirms this situation.
“The museum had annual operating costs of around €1 million. So for five years, there were €200,000 euros in false invoices. That’s a fifth of the budget. And nobody noticed. Do you think that’s normal?” she said.
At the time of the fraud, the then CFO of NMBS was also chair of the board of directors of Train World. They declined to comment.
NMBS says this was a case of fraud committed by one person and that the company took immediate action when it became aware. The director of Train World filed a complaint with the Schaarbeek police in April 2021 and the NMBS joined the proceedings as a civil party.
In March 2023, the woman was convicted of forgery and embezzlement of public funds, according to the NMBS. She was ordered to repay the entire sum of €1.06 million.
Her house has been sold and part of her pension is deducted every month. She says she was able to repay €300,000, though part of that amount is blocked by a notary. The NMBS has not confirmed these details, but says it has only received part of the amount to be repaid.
Repayment order
NMBS says this was a case of fraud committed by one person and that the company took immediate action when it became aware. The director of Train World filed a complaint with the Schaarbeek police in April 2021 and the NMBS joined the proceedings as a civil party.
In March 2023, the woman was convicted of forgery and embezzlement of public funds, according to the NMBS. She was ordered to repay the entire sum of €1.06 million.
Her house has been sold and part of her pension is deducted every month. She says she was able to repay €300,000, though part of that amount is blocked by a notary. The NMBS has not confirmed these details, but says it has only received part of the amount to be repaid.