An argument by former CDA minister and State Secretary Raymond Knops in Amsterdam court on Thursday was completely wrong with the NVJ journalists’ union.
The politician from Hegelsom took journalists from De Limburger and NRC to court for reporting on a house he had bought in Horst aan de Maas.
advantaged
According to NRC and De Limburger, Knops would have benefited from several tens of thousands of euros in 2010 when buying the land for his house. He himself denies that.
Also read: No independent investigation into Knops land deal
Assisted
According to journalists from NRC and De Limburger, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) has deployed civil servants, the state lawyer and a service subordinate to the ministry to deal with Knops’ private matter. The officials are said to have helped with legal analyzes and drafting communication strategies.
Also read: Minister: ‘Nothing wrong with official help for private matters Knops’
Criticism
NRC journalist Joep Dohmen in particular received a lot of criticism from Knops on Thursday. In his speech in court, the politician from Hegelsom stood up for the victims of the ‘Dohmen gang’. “Many are traumatized, scared and ruined,” said Knops in his plea note, which was put on Twitter by Joep Dohmen. “The same pattern every time. Brutal, intimidating, reversing the burden of proof and ‘hearing both sides’ as a checklist.”
NVJ spokesman Paul Teixeira sees no reason to doubt the journalistic integrity of De Limburger and NRC, who jointly investigated Knops’ home. “The investigative editors of NRC and De Limburger consist of very good professional journalists”, says Texeira. “It is reprehensible that a former minister uses such terms. Certainly this man should know better.”
Also read: Raymond Knops takes NRC and De Limburger to court
Feeling
According to Dohmen, Knops expresses the feeling of CDA (former) directors in particular who have become discredited. “This is almost Trumpian, demonizing critical journalists,” says Dohmen. “We are slipping with this. It is special that a prominent member of a party such as the CDA uses these kinds of texts. This is not casual talk, but a text spoken during a lawsuit,” said Dohmen.
‘Disgraceful and inadmissible’
Lawyer Jens van den Brink of De Limburger and NRC calls the personal attack by Knops ‘disgraceful and inadmissible’ for a former minister.
The judge will rule on the case on June 29.