Ad Smit, former police commissioner in Amsterdam, was convicted today of fraud with football tickets. The 68-year-old Smit was sentenced to 240 hours of community service and a three-month suspended prison sentence from the Amsterdam court.
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According to the court, Smit has ‘abused his position’ and ‘damaged the reputation of the police’. For years, the former district chief was handing out tickets for Ajax home matches bought by the police to family and friends. The OM stated that he acted as ‘a true ticket machine’.
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50.000 euro
In addition to football tickets, Smit also scattered tickets for concerts in Ziggo Dome, among others. In addition, he had family eat at the expense of the police in a restaurant in the ArenA and in the restaurant of Hotel Okura. According to the judiciary, almost 50,000 euros in police money has been embezzled. The National Police is demanding that money back in the context of criminal proceedings.
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The court came to a much lower amount: Smit must repay more than 2000 euros. According to the court, it has not been revealed which competitions were attended by family members and which dinners were enjoyed. There are too few leads to arrive at an estimate, according to the judge.
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Not convenient
Smit acknowledged that he had not always operated very conveniently, but contradicted that he had done something that was not allowed. According to Smit, there was nothing unusual or secret about giving away leftover tickets. According to him, people from the police and judicial authorities have also benefited from this practice.
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The judge ruled that the financial registration and control systems at the police were inadequate. There were too few rules and insufficient ‘critical attention for the use of budgets’. On the other hand, the judge found that Smit had not fully opened cases. The ex-commissioner himself referred to ‘a single slip’. “With that the suspect misunderstands the facts,” said the court.
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Nine months in prison
According to the Public Prosecution Service, Smit has abused his power as a senior police officer and from that position he should have done what is and what is not allowed. The OM had demanded nine months in prison against Smit.
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The court only charged him the cards for family members, not the cards he handed out to colleagues at the police or judicial authorities. The penalty is mainly lower than demanded because the case lasted more than two years longer than it should have been.
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The ex-commissioner was also on trial for forging his ex-wife’s signature on two loan agreements. The court also considers that fact to be proven.
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Smit was dishonorable dismissal in 2018 after 44 years of police service. He was a well-known police face in Amsterdam.
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