Rotterdam Fires Two Officials for Corruption in Construction Projects

The municipality of Rotterdam dismissed two civil servants this summer due to corruption allegations. The pair is accused of accepting gifts from companies that benefited from preferential treatment in municipal contract awards. The city council was informed of the dismissals in mid-July through a letter from the mayor and aldermen, which had gone unnoticed until now.

The dismissals came after the Public Prosecution Service briefed the municipality on an ongoing criminal investigation into official corruption and fraud within municipal construction projects on July 6. The two civil servants are suspected of bribery and forgery, among other offenses. According to the mayor and aldermen, their actions were also in violation of the Civil Servants Act and the municipality's code of conduct.

Information from the Public Prosecution Service indicated that the duo's conduct was "substantially more serious" than the municipality had previously determined in its own investigation. In late 2023, another civil servant from the municipality, also a suspect in the ongoing criminal investigation, had to leave their post. This investigation began after a publication in NRC revealed that the civil servant, a project leader, received money from an installation company with which he conducted business on behalf of the municipality. This company was linked to a firm that managed football talents.

The project leader played a significant role in the renovations of municipal cultural buildings, including overseeing asbestos removal at the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum. The publication also showed that officials had alerted the municipality to potential signs of fraud and corruption related to these renovations as early as 2020, but the municipality took little action. Following the reporting, the project leader departed (formally taking early retirement), and a criminal investigation was launched. Homes and businesses in The Hague and Echt were searched. Further searches followed in February of the previous year in locations including Capelle aan den IJssel, Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel, and Middelburg, as well as at a demolition company in Sint-Oedenrode.

Additional research by NRC indicated that the municipality had overpaid millions for the asbestos removal at the Boijmans Museum by this company. The company's lawyer declined to comment due to the ongoing investigation. The Public Prosecution Service confirmed the suspicions, stating that eleven individuals, including the three civil servants, and six companies are currently suspects. Sources close to the investigation suggest that suspect companies were able to inflate costs on construction projects with the assistance of civil servants. At least one of the two recently dismissed officials worked in the Urban Development department, similar to the project manager who left earlier. This official's home was among those searched last year. He has not responded to email inquiries since Friday morning.