Man who defrauded donors over COVID-19 claims must repay €302,000

The Hague court has sentenced a 61-year-old man from Hillegom to repay 302,000 euros to the Dutch government. Pieter K. scammed individuals and used the funds for his own personal spending.

K. founded and ran the Buiten Parlementaire Onderzoekscommissie 2020 (BPOC2020). He also operated the website “doezelfnormaal.nl.” Both platforms dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and voiced criticism of the government’s pandemic measures.

The Hillegom man claimed to have collected statements from 80 police officers about alleged police violence during COVID-19 protests, according to the BPOC2020 website. A notary allegedly verified the officers’ identities and secured video recordings of the statements in a safe. The doezelfnormaal.nl site also reported that complaints had been filed against the prime minister and two government ministers.

It turned out that the man had made up the statements and falsified the records.

Visitors to the websites could donate money. Over roughly two and a half years, thousands contributed or bought an “interim report” that supposedly included the officers’ statements. Between September 2020 and March 2023, the man reportedly collected more than 403,000 euros.

The repayment order comes after K. was sentenced last month to 18 months in prison, with six months suspended. Failure to repay the 302,000 euros could result in up to 1,095 more days (three years) of detention.