Former civil servant in Amsterdam facing 12 years jail for selling data to criminals

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) has recommended 12 years in prison against 48-year-old Jim B. The former civil servant for the municipality of Amsterdam is alleged to have sold data from the system, which was then used in at least 95 violent incidents. The OM is also recommending a professional ban of five years.

The incidents included 36 explosions, 14 threatening letters, some including bullets, eight shootings at homes, a kidnapping, and two attempted murders or manslaughter.

The explosions occurred at a shelter in Apeldoorn, and at homes in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden, Valkenburg, and Purmerend. A mechanic was shot in The Hague, in a case of mistaken identity. “He can count himself lucky that he survived the attack,” the prosecutor said.

Prosecutors claim that the suspects gave the criminals information for years. “And that information is worth its weight in gold in the criminal underworld,” the prosecutor said. “Without it, there is no front door to attach an explosive to, no vehicle to place a tracking device on, and no location where a rival or adversary can be killed.”

B. allegedly carried out 3,348 unauthorized database searches between late August 2024 and May 2025. In most cases, violence followed within a week. In 14 cases, it happened within a day, the OM said.

Fellow suspects Rishie K., 32, and Gillian H.,35, are facing 10 years in prison. Prosecutors see the two men as information brokers who allegedly bribed B. and then sold the information to others. K. made 430 requests to B. for information, while H. made 41, according to the OM.

The OM believes B. may have accessed personal data thousands of times. The cases for which he is now being prosecuted represent only the “tip of the iceberg,” the prosecutor said.

B. has worked for the municipality of Amsterdam since 2001. He allegedly searched for information about the family of Ridouan Taghi, a convicted drug trafficker, Dino Soerel, who is serving a life sentence, and a dispute involving 1,400 kilograms of stolen cocaine. He allegedly received 50 euros for each search, a claim he denies.

The OM is seeking to recover around 24,000 euros from B. He has admitted to police that he searched for the information, but prosecutors say he knew how the data would be used.

B. remained silent during the trial, saying he did so because of threats. The case against him began after a list containing addresses from Amsterdam municipal databases was discovered during a separate investigation into a series of explosions.

K. said he believed he was requesting the addresses on behalf of a man who owned a car dealership and wanted to track down customers who had failed to pay. He said he now feels he was misled. “I feel a little stupid,” K. said.

“For you, they were just addresses. For us, they were homes, our privacy and our lives.” A woman who was the victim of an explosion in October 2024 addressed B. in court on Monday, describing the impact the attack had on her life. “Everything that once felt safe and familiar to me is gone,” the woman said.

After the explosion, the woman and her husband were evicted from their rental home. They have still not found a new place to live and have been staying in a caravan ever since. A year after the attack, the couple’s first child died.

“One day and one year after the attack, I buried my child. After that, I had to return to a filthy caravan to recover,” the woman said. “We were not the perpetrators. We did not ask for any of this.”

Another victim eventually decided to move after an explosion. The man feared the perpetrators would return and no longer felt comfortable in the neighborhood. You’re the neighbor from the explosion, after all.”

The trial will continue Wednesday with closing arguments from the lawyers.