A City Council member in Steenbergen has been sentenced for fraud after stealing 82,000 euros worth of goods from his former employer, local authorities confirmed.

Gidion Tunders submitted 157 false invoices between 2017 and 2021, claiming company materials while purchasing electronics for personal use, according to court records reviewed by Omroep Brabant.

In December 2025, the Rotterdam court sentenced Tunders to 120 hours of community service and ordered him to repay 83,000 euros.

Tunders previously served in the council for D66 until October 2025, when he and two colleagues left the party to form their own local group, Vanuit de Kern. The departure occurred one month before Tunders’ fraud trial began; it is unclear if the impending prosecution influenced the decision.

Tunders remains an elected council member and also serves on Steenbergen’s audit committee, which advises the council on financial oversight. He is eligible for re-election in the upcoming municipal vote.

In a March 10 statement, Vanuit de Kern described the case as “a personal matter from the past that has no connection to the political activities within the party or in the municipal council.”