Dutch admit spying on Bonaire politician Jopie Abraham

Intelligence service AIVD unjustly collected information on Bonaire former minister and deputy Jopie Abraham while he was negotiating Bonaire joining the Netherlands, Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs admitted in a letter to Abraham, NRC reports.

The CTIVD, the committee that oversees and supervises the intelligence services in the Netherlands, launched an investigation after Abraham filed a complaint last year. The complaint regarded the AIVD's actions between 2005 and 2010. Abraham believes that the AIVD spied on Bonaire politicians while they negotiated with the Dutch government on joining the Netherlands Bonaire became part of the Netherlands in 2010.

According to Plasterk, the CTIVD advised him to declare Abraham's complaint "partly justified and partly unfounded". The reasons behind this advice are confidential. Plasterk states that the CTIVD found the AIVD's actions "largely just". "However, in respect of a short period, the CTIVD came to the conclusion that no investigation should have been carried out, so that part of the investigation is unlawful." the Minister wrote to Abraham.

Exactly why the investigation was unlawful during that "short period", the Minister does not say. But he does add that "measures" were now taken to prevent similar circumstances in the future.