Groningen man struggling to prove he's alive; Municipality thinks he died 15 years ago
The municipality of Midden-Groningen mistakenly declared a local man dead. According to a death certificate issued by the municipality, the very much alive 70-year-old man died 15 years ago. Government agencies have been working for months to legally revive him, several sources confirmed to Dagblad van het Noorden.
The municipality of Midden-Groningen speaks of “a unique situation.” The District Court of Noord-Nederland confirmed the case, but would say little beyond that it has “never experienced anything like this before” to protect the man’s privacy.
The Groningen court officially declared the man missing last year at the request of his ex-wife. Their relationship ended in 2010. The woman said that the man had died and that she had not seen him for almost 15 years. Despite the Noord Nederland police never receiving an official missing person’s report for the man, the court issued a ruling last September, declaring the Midden-Groningen resident missing since he and his ex separated on 1 May 2010.
Generally, a judge can declare a person missing after a petition if no one has had contact with them for at least five years. A call is placed in a national newspaper for the person to come forward, and if they don’t respond within a month, the court declares them missing. This makes it easier for relatives of missing persons to settle their affairs.
With the court document in hand, the ex-partner went to the municipality of Midden-Groningen, which, without further verification, issued a death certificate for the man in December, stating that he had died on 1 May 2010. Formally and legally, the 70-year-old man has been officially dead for 15 years.
The man himself was deeply shocked by the news. He has been living under the radar with his new partner, not paying taxes or health insurance, and not receiving any benefits. But that does not mean that he is dead.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirmed to the newspaper that it has received a petition from Midden-Groningen requesting the court to overturn the missing person and death declaration. The court will urgently consider the request to revive the man on paper. How long this will take is unknown.
