Parliamentary questions about fraud at the State Attorney's office

The Socialist Party (SP) wants to know from Minister of Justice and Security Ferd Grapperhaus how a notary could have committed millions in fraud at the State Attorney's office. The MPs question whether it is desirable for notary offices to implement the "four-eyes principle" themselves.

Michiel van Nispen and Renske Leijten (both SP) argue that this might be too noncommittal. According to the Royal Netherlands Notary Association (KNB), it's difficult to develop a blueprint that will work well for all offices. This is because notary offices vary in nature and size. What is certain, however, is that they must carefully organize the management of third-party funds, as stipulated in the KNB's Administrative Regulations.

Speed
Both MPs also want to know from Grapperhaus whether the independent supervisory authority and investigative services have sufficient capacity to detect complex fraud cases. The Royal Netherlands Bank (KNB) and the Financial Supervision Office (BFT) have jointly explored how to utilize all available information more efficiently and how closer collaboration can be established. Both organizations expect algorithms to contribute to this. According to the KNB, this case demonstrates the need to expedite implementation.

Not previously discovered
The parliamentary questions are prompted by the fraud committed by former civil-law notary Frank Oranje . The MPs want to know from the minister why measures such as appointing a compliance officer, checking whether civil-law notaries hold other positions at other foundations, and contacting the beneficiary to verify the accuracy of a transfer were only taken after an internal investigation by Deloitte. They question why these omissions were not discovered earlier by, for example, the independent supervisor and the external auditor.

Photo credits: Ramon van Flymen