Justice Min. wants independent investigation state secret leak at police, NCTV

Outgoing Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz (Security and Justice) wants an independent investigation into the employees of the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) and the police suspected of leaking state secrets. The independent investigation will be separate from the Rijksrecherche criminal investigation and will not get in its way, she said in a letter to parliament. The Minister did not make clear why a second investigation is necessary and exactly what she hopes to find out.

“Let me first say that I find this a very disturbing report,” Yeşilgöz said in the letter to parliament. The Minister said she needs more time to decide what the design of the investigation will be. She also wrote that the NCTV and police have taken “additional security measures where necessary.” She wouldn’t provide more information “in the interest of the criminal investigation.”

Several parliamentarians reacted dismayed to the news of the two employees’ arrests. Joost Sneller (D66) called it “disturbing” and believes the Minister should provide as much clarification as possible as “the importance of the investigation allows.” For example, he wants to know whether people are in immediate danger due to the leak.

Songül Mutluer (PvdA) said he still has many questions about the issue after Yeşilgöz's letter and the Public Prosecution Service’s (OM) announcement.

Earlier Thursday, the OM announced that a 64-year-old man from Rotterdam and a 35-year-old woman from Gouda were in custody on suspicion of leaking state secrets. The man works for the NCTV and also does work for the police. The woman was an NCTV employee until recently when she started working for the police. The OM only said that they were in restricted custody, and the investigation against them was ongoing.

According to the Telegraaf, the arrested man is Abderrahim el M., an Arabic translator, strategic scout, senior analyst, and advisor at the police’s national unit and the NCTV. Sources told the newspaper that the police have suspected for some time that El M. had passed on information to the Moroccan government.

“Several colleagues from the national unit have already warned leadership about this man in 2021,” a source at the national unit told the newspaper. “It is incomprehensible that something wasn’t done about him sooner. He was in very sensitive positions and is said to have passed on very sensitive information.”