More than 900 million euros released between 2017 and 2022 to fight crime has been spent without measurable results. Writing that Investico and The Green Amsterdammer based on research together with Follow the Money and argos, in which more than 1,500 pages of government documents were requested. In many cases it is not clear what happened to the money.
In particular, the murder of lawyer Derk Wiersum in 2019 was a reason for then Minister of Justice and Security Ferd Grapperhaus (CDA) to set aside money to combat ‘subversion’. At least 163 initiatives were announced with names such as ‘The Future Agenda Undermining’, ‘Strategic Deliberation Undermining’ and ‘Program Anti-Undermining’. The Ministry of Justice and Security would not know exactly which projects are still ongoing. On Wednesday morning, the ministry could not be reached to say that opposite NRC to confirm.
With 158 million euros, the Multidisciplinary Intervention Team (MIT) was the largest cost item, a project that had been known for some time to be fruitless. Grapperhaus wanted a super-investigation unit of at least three hundred people that could tackle the most serious criminals. Investico found in the documents apps and emails from the minister, which show that he was mainly concerned with an ‘atmosphere of urgency’, and not so much a solution. The current Justice and Security Minister, Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD), disbanded the team in May before it ever came into action.
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