Intelligence service illegally screened police official: Council of State

Dutch intelligence service AIVD was not allowed to screen high police commissioner Tom Driessen in 2012, the Council of State ruled in the appeal of this case. This screening led to the AIVD refusing to give Driessen a certificate of no objection, which in turn led to Driessen having to resign as leader of the Nuclear Summit in The Hague, AD reports.

In 2012 then Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten appointed Driessen the prestigious task of preparing for the Nuclear Security Summit - the largest security operation ever held in the Netherlands. Driessen, previously second in charge at Europol and head of the National Crime Squad, accepted this responsibility, which put him in charge of the safety of numerous world leaders including American President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

While this position was filled with heavy responsibility, it was not designated as a position of trust, which means Driessen did not have to be screened by the AIVD to be appointed. The AIVD did so anyway.

The intelligence service found that in 2011, while he was second in charge at Europol, Driessen revealed confidential information about a job application. Because of this the Ministry of Home Affairs refused to issue a certificate of no objection for him. Despite the fact that such a certificate was unnecessary for his appointment, Driessen had to resign.

The Council of State now ruled that this screening should never have happened. And by screening doing so the AIVD seriously harmed Driessen's career.