PowNed admits to paying No Surrender boss for biker gang show broadcasts
Public broadcaster PowNed paid No Surrender leader Henk Kuipers a thousand euros before each broadcast of series Captain Henk, which is about Kuipers and the outlaw motorcycle club, sources told the Telegraaf. On Thursday night, PowNed director Dominique Weesie admitted that money was paid to Kuipers. Parliamentarians are outraged, according to the newspaper.
"We did not pay him for his cooperation. We did, however, give him a small expense allowance, as we always do", Weesie said, according to the newspaper. On Wednesday night Weesie denied giving money to Kuipers on television program Jinek. "With my comment at the Jinek table, I was referring to the fact that Henk did not receive a fee", he said about that on Thursday.
The CDA called this "unacceptable" and wants an explanation from the cabinet. "We find it unacceptable that organized crime is awarded such a platform. If it turns out that the podium was actually bought with tax money, it is so serious that we will ask the cabinet for clarification", parliamentarian Madeleine van Toorenburg said to the newspaper.
PvdA parliamentarian Attje Kuiken was shocked when she heard Weesie admitted that a public broadcaster offered Kuipers money after he previously denied it. "He helps to romanticize this club and then also lies about it!" she said to the newspaper.
Weesie said that more broadcasters offer expense allowances to guests or main characters that you make a portrait of. He also said that the expense allowance for Kuipers came from club money, and therefore not tax money. This was choice was deliberately made to avoid a commotion, according to him. "PowNed fully stands behind this state of affairs", he said.
The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of parliament, previously also criticized PowNed for giving Kuipers a basically critique-free podium for PR while his club is suspected of serious crimes, according to the Telegraaf.
Kuipers was arrested again earlier this week on suspicion of assault, extortion, threats, violent theft and forgery.
