The article that NRC wrote about tax specialists Karim Aachboun and Ad Aerts of consultancy firm Taxeco did not act outside the boundaries of journalistic freedom and there was no wrongful act. That is what the court in Amsterdam has judged Friday. Aachboun, who is referred to as the ‘Rocky of the Zuidas’ in the contested article, had filed a lawsuit for what he called ‘an attempted assassination of character’. The judge follows NRC on all points in the rejection of the claim.
Read here the piece about Karim Aachboun, the ‘Rocky of the Zuidas’
The article describes in detail how Aachboun works together with business partner Aerts. They are being prosecuted for threatening – a kind of blackmail in which no violence is used or threatened with violence – of the De Mol family and Aachboun has also been identified as a suspect in a defamation case. NRC also wrote that they wrong-footed a judge with a seizure and that Aachboun accrued more than a ton of rent arrears with a BV. They also leave a trail of challenge requests. Because of the publication in NRC Aachboun filed a lawsuit.
In the verdict, the judge says that the article contributes to the public debate and that there is no question of an infringement of the private life of the tax specialist. Precisely because of Aachboun’s public role, he and his partner must be able to tolerate more criticism. In addition, according to the court, Aachboun and his partner have been given sufficient opportunity to reply.