NS boss accused of bid-rigging
NS CEO Timo Huges has been accused of abusing his power in Limburg. The Telegraaf writes that Huges forwarded an email he received from transport company Veolia to NS sbsidiary Qbuzz, while this is strictly prohibited.
At the time Veolia and Qbuzz were competing with each other for the procurement of public transport in Limburg. The email that Huges forwarded to Qbuzz contained questions asked by Veolia. According to the Telegraaf, this email gave Qbuzz an unauthorized look behind the scense of its competitor, which means that Huges violated the procurement rules.
Earlier this week the Authority for Consumers and Markets also said that NS seriously frustrated the procurement of public transport in Limburg. According to the ACM, NS deliberately put Veolia at a disadvantage so that subsidiary Abellio could benefit.
Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem has asked the NS top for an explanation on these irregularities. The Minister wants Huges to give him an explanation on the state of affairs by this afternoon, NOS reports. He said that the facts are very serious.