Paid-off drug dealer warned of ex-Justice Sec. kidnapping plot

Drug criminal Cees H. warned former Justice State Secretary Fred Teeven that another criminal was planning to attack and kidnap him and keep him captive in a cage built in a junkyard for that purpose. Teeven, still a prosecutor at the time, was prosecuting the criminal in question - John V., alias The Hakkelaar - for large-scale drug trafficking.

This is according to research done by Brandpunt Reporter for a reconstruction of the political downfall of VVD politicians Minister Ivo Opstelten and State Secretary Fred Teeven of Security and Justice. The two Justice officials stepped down earlier this year after details on Teeven's deal with Cees H. were revealed.

Brandpunt reported on Sunday that the kidnapping plot was revealed during a confidential conversation between Teeven and H. on May 21st, 1995. One justice official told the program that H. did not only warn Teeven about the attack during this conversation, but also gave important background information about the Hakkelaar, specifically about his criminal financial flows. According to those involved, this played an important role in the deal Teeven made with H. in 2000. They called it the "gun-factor". "It was a matter of honor; one man one man, one word one word", one party said to the program.

After the warning of an imminent attack, the Public Prosecutor decided to give Teeven heavy protection.

These measures were only lifted two and a half years later. Teeven and Opstelten resigned from their positions at the Ministry of Security and Justice in March, after a receipt was discovered that showed that Cees H. got much more money back in the deal than thought. H. had to pay a fine of 750 thousand guilders, and got some 5 million guilders back.

However, Opstelten told the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, that he only got back 1.25 million guilders.

Brandpunt managed to get hold of a previously unknown and unrevealed record of a conversation between Teeven and Director General Gerard Roes on April 25th last year that shows that top officials of the Ministry of Security and Justice knew the amounts involved for some time. In the conversation Teeven explains that H. had a separate interest bearing account, which was never confiscated by the prosecution.

Over the years the interest on the account increased to "4.8 million" guilders. Those involved stated that Opstelten knew about this, but did nothing with the information, instead sticking to his claim of 1.25 million guilders. In the Kamer he stated that he had "insufficient memory" on the case.