Forum for Democracy leader Thierry Baudet has violated the Code of Conduct for MPs by not registering two additional positions. The Integrity Investigation Board came to this conclusion, which the House of Representatives set up a year ago.
The code of conduct states, among other things, that MPs are obliged to declare their secondary activities in the public register of the House of Representatives. In this way, the House wants to guarantee that its members are transparent about their ancillary positions, prevent conflicts of interest and also prevent the appearance that MPs do not operate independently.
Baudet has two ancillary positions that are not listed in the register. It concerns his position as director of THPB Media BV, a publishing house associated with FVD, and his role as board member of Forum for Democracy BV, which is involved in the party’s commercial activities.
‘Aggravating circumstances’
The Board has asked Baudet for a statement, but “Mr Baudet – asked about it and given the opportunity to explain his position several times – has not taken the trouble to explain to the Board why he has not registered this ancillary position”.
The Board sees it as “aggravating circumstances” that Baudet refused to cooperate in the investigation: “With his attitude and ignoring the College in the investigation of the complaint, Mr. Baudet has shown that he does not see or insufficiently understands that he must also comply with the rules applicable to MPs, namely in this case the registration obligation.”
The independent integrity committee was established in April last year. The committee is authorized to impose sanctions if MPs violate integrity rules. Those sanctions can range from a reprimand to a temporary ban on participating in plenary debates.
The Institute recommends the House of Representatives to impose two sanctions on Baudet. The FVD leader must be instructed to have both ancillary positions registered in the activity register. In addition, the Institute recommends that Baudet be ‘reprimanded’ for failing to register these additional positions. It is now up to the House to make a decision.
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