An internal investigation report reviewed by Tra Fas’ De and Key News concludes that a total of 7,038 BAZO cards were entered and printed at the Staatsziekenfonds (SZF) in 2024 and 2025 without obtaining the required authorisation from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Housing.
The report, dated January 12, 2026, describes these actions as unlawful. Tra Fas’ De and Key News emphasise that this concerns a conclusion from the internal investigation report and not a criminal fact independently established by the newsrooms.
Investigation into BAZO card processing
The investigation was launched in response to alleged irregularities surrounding the processing and issuance of BAZO cards within the SZF. Digital data from 2023 onwards were secured for the analysis. According to the report, the available datasets comprise approximately six hundred pages.
The central question was whether BAZO cards were processed at the SZF without prior authorisation.
According to the report, screening and authorisation are the responsibility of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Housing. The document states:
“You stated that the screening and authorisation of BAZO cards is carried out exclusively by the Ministry of Social Affairs.”
Following the screening, the authorised data would be provided to the SZF through a secure portal.
Regarding the SZF’s task, the report states:
“The SZF is solely tasked with administrative processing, namely entering the information into the system, printing and issuing the BAZO cards to eligible beneficiaries.”
3,702 cards in 2024 and 3,336 in 2025
Regarding the findings, the report states:
“The analysis has unequivocally shown that SZF employees entered and printed BAZO cards without an authorisation through the Ministry of Social Affairs portal underlying this.”
It continues:
“These therefore concern actions that took place without lawful source data and outside the established procedure.”
For 2024, the report cites 3,702 BAZO cards. For 2025, it concerns 3,336 cards. This brings the total for both years to 7,038.
Printing does not mean sale has been proven
An important distinction concerns what happened to the cards after they were printed.
The report concludes that 7,038 cards were entered and printed without the required authorisation. However, it cannot be concluded from this that all these cards were actually issued, sold or used by persons not entitled to a BAZO card.
The report also does not state how many of the 7,038 cards may ultimately have ended up with unauthorised persons.
Tra Fas’ De and Key News therefore do not link the full number of 7,038 to fraud, sale or corruption.
Other finding concerning 2023
For 2023, the report describes a different situation. It states:
“In the year 2023, 2550 BAZO cards were not processed.”
These 2,550 cards are not classified in the report as cards entered and printed without authorisation. They are therefore not included in the total of 7,038 cards for 2024 and 2025.
Both BAZO and BZV appear in the underlying numerical overviews. Tra Fas’ De and Key News use the figure of 7,038 because the investigation report itself derives this total from the findings for 2024 and 2025.
Explanations not substantiated according to report
During the investigation, explanations were provided by the department involved for the identified discrepancies in the administration. These reportedly included differences in personal data and cases in which data did not fully match.
The investigator requested that these explanations be substantiated with verifiable documents from the files.
According to the report, during follow-up discussions, “not a single piece of evidence” could be submitted showing that the actions under investigation were justified or unavoidable.
The investigator therefore found the explanation given implausible.
Suspicion of provision in exchange for payment
The report then addresses what may have happened to part of the cards after they were processed.
According to the document, a “serious suspicion” arose that part of the cards entered and printed without authorisation were subsequently transferred to other employees.
It states:
“The latter would then have actively approached beneficiaries and provided the BAZO cards in exchange for payment.”
The word “would” is important here. The report does not establish that the sale of cards has been proven. Nor does it indicate how many cards may have been provided in exchange for payment.
Possible criminal offences still had to be investigated
The report shows that the investigation still had to be continued on this point. Persons would have to be interviewed to establish what actually happened and whether criminally relevant acts had occurred.
The document mentions possible classifications such as abuse of office, forgery and corruption.
These possible criminal offences are also not presented as proven in the reviewed report. The announced follow-up investigation was specifically intended to establish “the extent to which criminally relevant acts are involved”.
Based on the report, it therefore cannot be concluded that the persons involved have been found criminally guilty.
What happened to the report?
The report advises that administrative and disciplinary measures be taken based on the findings. If there are grounds to do so, the file should also be transferred for further criminal handling.
For Tra Fas’ De and Key News, the question now is what has happened to the findings since January 12, 2026.
Was the investigation continued? Were the employees involved interviewed? Were disciplinary measures taken? Was the file transferred to the police or the Openbaar Ministerie (Public Prosecution Service)? And did further investigation confirm or disprove the suspicion of provision in exchange for payment?
Based on the reviewed report, Tra Fas’ De and Key News cannot answer these questions at this time. A response was requested from the Openbaar Ministerie on whether a file or a request for investigation had been submitted, but no confirmation has yet been received as to whether this was done and whether action was taken.
The concrete conclusion therefore remains limited to what the internal investigation reports: according to the report, a total of 7,038 BAZO cards were entered and printed in 2024 and 2025 without the required authorisation.
Whether cards were subsequently provided in exchange for payment and whether criminal offences were committed in doing so is not definitively established in the reviewed report.
