The Amsterdam Bar Association (OvA) suspects lawyer Gerald Roethof of leaking information from a criminal file in 2020 while he and his client were not allowed to say anything about the case. The professional organization has therefore submitted a blanket objection to the Discipline Council (RvD). Roethof’s lawyer Gerard Spong confirmed this on Tuesday NRC after reporting by it A.D. Roethof denies being guilty.
The investigation into 50-year-old Roethof started after the Public Prosecutor received a “serious and worrying signal” of a serious professional offense from the Public Prosecution Service. The lawyer came under suspicion when four anonymous users of the encrypted messaging service Encrochat turned out to possess secret information from a criminal file that Roethof and his client were not allowed to share with the outside world. They referred to Roethof several times in their messages.
The case is now before the Discipline Council, which dealt with the blanket objection – intended for serious violations that can damage confidence in the legal profession – on Monday. If Roethof is found guilty, the RvD can impose various sanctions, ranging from a reprimand to a suspension. In 2020, Roethof was previously given a conditional suspension of four weeks because he had seriously harmed a client by acting solo. The verdict is on March 25.