Urk politician resigns over son’s drug bust in Britain

Geert Post resigned as alderman in Urk during an extra city council meeting on Tuesday evening. The SGP politician came under fire in August when it was revealed that he had concealed a position he had at his son's transport company. This revelation came shortly after his son was arrested for drug trafficking, when British customs found over 400 kilos of hard drugs in his possession.

"Integrity is important for the SGP and for me too," Post said in the city council meeting on Tuesday, Omroep Flevoland reports. "I thought I could stay on, but do others think so too? Can I stand it if what happened in 2020 is thrown at my feet time and again and I have to go on the defensive every time? I do not want to do that to my family, myself, the SGP, and our beautiful municipality of Urk."

After his resignation and statement, Post left the town hall and debated no further with the city council.

The faction leaders of the other parties in the council told the broadcaster that they respect Post's decision. According to them, Post always worked with great passion for the municipality of Urk.

SGP faction leader Jan Willem Bakker said that the party will consider who to put in the now open alderman position. Bakker respects Post's decision, but lessons must be learned from the integrity investigation into the alderman, he said. "To reassess the integrity of our municipal administration in the broadest sense of the word."

Post had been an alderman in Urk since 2010, initially part-time, but full time since the last election. He already stepped away from his duties when the integrity investigation was launched against him. His portfolio included Economic Affairs and Fisheries.