Amsterdam official suspected in €2.5 million fraud, embezzelment case

An Amsterdam official and his wife were both arrested for a "sophisticated" scheme involving fraud, forgery and embezzlement of millions of euros from the city. The municipality, prosecutor and police are involved in an ongoing investigation into the plot, the mayor's office said in a statement. Suspicions arose in June as an investigation uncovered two payments to a businesswoman's company without any sign of goods or services being delivered, a city representative told the Parool. The payments were for 1.9 million euro and 600 thousand euro. The couple was arrested on September 7, their bank accounts and all property have been seized by authorities. The Integrity Bureau of the City of Amsterdam has initiated a full internal investigation while police prosecution is in the process of establishing a criminal financial investigation into large-scale fraud of the couple. The official was suspended from his pos,t and both he and his wife remain in custody reported nu.nl. “As long as both criminal and internal investigations are on-going, no further comments can be made regarding the nature and extent of the fraud, nor about the suspect or his background,” one representative told the Telegraaf. The city council was notified of the allegation in a letter sent jointly by the mayor and aldermen. The city's internal investigation is being conducted by the Integrity Office, led by Mayor Eberhard van der Laan, along with Alderman Udo Kock for finance issues, and Alderman Pieter Lijtens for purchasing matters.