Fmr. Hague alderman "looking forward to acquittal" in corruption case

Richard de Mos, a former alderman in The Hague suspected of official corruption, again said that he believes he has done nothing wrong. He made this statement on Friday at a preparatory hearing in the court in Rotterdam. He will stand trial in January, over three years after the police raided The Hague city hall and his home.

“I look forward to the trial in January, to the acquittal, and the many apologies that will come to me. I have faith in this hellish path I will walk,” said De Mos. He said that the prosecution is indicting him “without a shred of evidence,” calling the case a political process and accusing the Public Prosecution Service (OM) of double standards. “What national parties are doing is exactly what the OM accuses me of, with the difference that their donations are larger and more structural.”

According to the OM, De Mos helped entrepreneurs in exchange for donations. The owners of a conference center allegedly obtained a night permit in this way. He is also suspected of perjury. As a city councilor and then as an alderman, he promised at his installation that he would never accept gifts in return for services he could render, and the OM says he violated that promise. Because others are also involved in the alleged corruption, the OM also accuses De Mos of belonging to a criminal organization.

According to the public prosecutor, the case is only now getting to court because it is very complex. “Bribery is not an incident with one perpetrator and one victim. You have the briber and the bribed, people who need each other, and society is always the victim. It is at odds with the core of a healthy democracy.”

Another suspect in this case is De Mos’s party colleague Rachid Guernaoui, who was also an alderman. He told the court: “I never thought I would be happy to appear in court. After three years of being held hostage by the OM, I am happy that independent judges are finally looking at this so-called case.” Guernaoui added: “It takes months before you even know what they suspect you of. Permits. It’s like telling a tennis player: you’re offside. I’m not involved in permits!”

On Friday, the court also looked at the case of two entrepreneurs who allegedly bribed De Mos. They also say they have done nothing wrong.

There will be another pre-trial hearing for four other suspects on Monday. The court will start the substantive hearings on January 23. It set 12 days aside for this.