According to the judge, Grethe van Geffen does not have to return to the North Holland VVD faction. Last year, the States member was expelled from the faction after a conflict, after which she filed a lawsuit. But the judge ruled that her former party members had acted correctly and had rightly expelled her from the group.
It was a unique moment last week in the Amsterdam court. In the courtroom, Member of Parliament Grethe van Geffen faced her former party members. According to her, she was wrong expelled from the VVD faction, and through the courts she even wanted to force a return. Something that her former party members said they didn’t feel like.
Back to 2021. There has been dissatisfaction about this for some time, because Van Geffen would not keep to the agreements. And when she accuses party leader and deputy Cees Loggen of intimidation, the bomb explodes. She is asked to provide concrete evidence, but according to her group members, that is not forthcoming. There will eventually be an additional meeting on September 18, where she will eventually be voted out of the party.
Judge lacks evidence
According to the judge, the party acted correctly. And also during the hearing last week, Van Geffen was unable to explain why she felt intimidated. “It is Van Geffen who acted carelessly, by making a serious accusation and then refusing to substantiate it. Van Geffen also at the hearing
her accusations were not made concrete. This should have been expected of her.”
Van Geffen will therefore no longer be returning to the group, and previous reports about her will not need to be rectified. “The faction is happy with this ruling, partly because it confirms the position of the faction. The faction hopes to be able to put this matter behind it now,” said the VVD Noord-Holland in a response to their website.
Disappointed
Grethe van Geffen says in a short response that she is ‘very disappointed’ in the ruling. Despite the fact that not a word or look was exchanged between Van Geffen and her former party members during the trial and that harsh accusations were made back and forth, she still had the hope and the desire to return.
“I am not resentful. I am a VVD member in heart and soul. And now they all say they are against my return. But individually I hear other stories. I was chosen by the voter. So why should a group of people be allowed to determine who is allowed to sit in the VVD,” she said last week.
But it won’t come to that. The States member himself also announced that he would like to be on the VVD’s electoral list for the upcoming Provincial Council elections next year. Whether that will still happen remains to be seen.
Van Geffen also has to repay the costs of the proceedings of the VVD parliamentary party, 1,300 euros.