Former Ministry of Defense employee arrested at Schiphol for bribery allegations

A former employee of the Ministry of Defense was arrested at Schiphol on Monday on suspicion of official corruption, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) reported on Tuesday. The 58-year-old from Rotterdam is suspected of having accepted bribes in 2023 in connection with the awarding of purchasing contracts, when he was still working for the ministry.

Two more Dutch suspects were arrested shortly after the former civil servant was taken into custody. These two suspects are not former or current government employees.

The case was managed by the Rijksrecherche, the independent investigative service responsible for handling allegations of criminality involving civil servants during the course of their work, such as abuse of power and breaching secrecy rules. This investigation started last year after a tip was received from an organization outside of the country.

It was reported by the NOS that more people from abroad were also involved in this type of bribery case, also taking money in exchange for services. The OM said that they could give no more information about the case due to the fact that the investigation is ongoing.

The three suspects are all in custody. They will be brought before the examining magistrate on Thursday.