Hague councilor convicted for disclosing sensitive government information

Rachid Guernaoui, a former alderman of The Hague, has been convicted of breaching official secrecy. In 2024, the Court of Appeal found him guilty but did not issue a sentence. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal.

Rachid Guernaoui took office as an alderman in The Hague in 2018. In 2019, the National Police Internal Investigation Service conducted a raid on the city hall. He and fellow party member Richard de Mos were accused of assisting business associates in return for donations while in office, prompting their resignations. Prosecutors charged them with corruption, but both the trial court and the Court of Appeal acquitted them completely, and the acquittal is now final.

Guernaoui was nonetheless found guilty of breaching official secrecy. In July 2018, he sent a confidential report on the increased costs of the Amare cultural complex to a real estate developer who served as an advisor to his political party. Guernaoui argued that the information was not classified.

At present, Guernaoui serves on The Hague city council for the local party Hart voor Den Haag, which holds the largest number of seats in the council.

Richard de Mos received a suspended fine of 2,000 euros from the Court of Appeal for leaking confidential information. He has accepted the ruling.

Reports on the cassation proceedings indicate that the Attorney General told the Supreme Court that Guernaoui had breached his confidentiality obligations by sharing sensitive information, despite questions over whether the material qualified as secret.