Ton Hooijmaijers repeatedly warned
Former Commissioner of the Queen of North Holland, Harry Borghouts, repeatedly warned former deputy Ton Hooijmaijers in the past to steer clear of the real estate sector, according to his statement Wednesday morning on a local radio station.Hooijmaijers was asked repeatedly not to deal with the real-estate industry, not only by Borghouts, but by other commissioners and officials as well. Not because he could not be trusted, but because of the image of the real-estate sector.
The former deputy was sentenced to three years in prison for corruption, money laundering, and forgery. Borghouts was shocked by the facts that surfaced during the trial, at the same time he is pleased it concerns one individual within the province, and that there was no involvement within the provincial organization.
The former commissioner hopes the provincial department and the Amsterdam office of the VVD will strive to improve their selection policy.
The VVD in North Holland announces by way of fraction chairman Dorienke de Grave-Verkerk the party is shocked by the decision of the court and disappointed in the actions of Ton Hooijmaijers. " We have already indicated that we distance ourselves from his style of government and his conduct, and we offer our apologies," according to De Grave-Verkerk. In a response to the comments of Borghouts, the fraction leader refers the question back to the former commissioner and wants to know how come he never noticed something was wrong. Of course members are more critical toward each other now. The VVD applies a strict selection procedure, but when working with people, these excesses can never entirely be prevented.