Kortrijk (Brussels Morning Newspaper): Three years ago, a Rolex worth €17,500 was misappropriated by a Kortrik registry office employee, who attempted to sell it illegally. The court sentenced her to 120 hours of community service and fined her €8,000 for theft and insurance fraud. Her partner received a one-month suspended sentence and an €8,000 fine.
Three years ago, a Rolex watch worth 17,500 euros was taken to the Kortrijk registry office. An employee supposed to register and keep the watch decided to take it home instead. She and her partner tried to sell it to a jeweler. The jeweler, suspecting the watch was valuable, sent it to the manufacturer to check if it was real before agreeing to buy it.
How did a Kortrijk employee’s rolex theft uncover insurance fraud?
The manufacturer found that the Rolex watch had a marked serial number, which meant it had a fake history. The previous owner had tried to deceive an insurance company by claiming the watch was lost or stolen. This discovery not only uncovered the insurance fraud but also linked the registry office employee to an illegal attempt to sell the watch.
The court investigated a woman who had stolen 670 euros from a drug case and broke her job rules by telling a suspect’s father about the evidence against his son. Her lawyer said she had a good record after 22 years of work at the court and stole the watch due to financial struggles after her divorce. The judge sentenced her to 120 hours of community service and fined her 8,000 euros. Her partner, who helped sell the watch, received a 1-month suspended sentence and a fine of 8,000 euros, with half of it suspended. Both must repay the stolen money and the profits from the watch sale.
