Electric taxi program suspected of embezzeling €1.6m

The 42-year-old director of a taxi company, believed to be Prestige Greencab in Utrecht, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of having embezzled €1.6 million in subsidy money. The Public Prosecution Authority (OM) will not confirm the name of the cab company, RTV Utrecht reports.  In 2011, the taxi company received the subsidy money for an experiment to bring electric cabs to Utrecht. The experiment was stopped at the start of 2013. The company was asked to submit an auditor's certificate to show what the money was spent on, but despite several requests for this, it never happened. When the company had to pay back €1.6 million in subsidy money, the money seemed to have disappeared. The Realm has made an accusal. The OM states that the authorities have raided two homes and one business establishment in the region of Utrecht in relation to this case. The administration has been seized. The OM has also seized €20,000 in cash, paintings, statues, a television and four complete diving suits.