Kadir Arslan will take a seat in the Emmen municipal council for the Veilig Emmen party in the coming council period. He does this after party leader Dennis Coelingh renounces his seat. Arslan previously resigned as party chairman after a fraud investigation by the Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD).
“I resigned from my position at the time to keep calm and wait for developments. After contacting the officer, I was informed that there was no file at that time and that it was not even certain whether there would be a case. I will therefore continue to work for Emmen,” said Arslan.
The new party expected five to six seats, but ended up with two after the elections. This means that the chance that Veilig Emmen will supply an alderman is small. Arslan: “Now that the situation has turned out differently, Dennis Coelingh has chosen to relinquish his seat. That is his personal and understandable decision.” Coelingh himself could not be reached for a response.
Because Arslan was already definitively on the voting list, despite the arrest, he was eligible for position 3 on the list of candidates. Due to the loss of Coelingh, he now moves on.
The criminal investigation is still ongoing, but if a conviction occurs, he will be allowed to remain a councilor. Municipal councilors are not required to have a certificate of conduct (VOG).
Veilig Emmen will be looking for a new chairman. According to Arslan, this must work objectively and independently. “Precisely because we want to be transparent and show that we have nothing to hide.” As a councilor, he wants to focus on the themes that the party considers important.
The Veilig Emmen faction will consist of two seats for the next four years. Ada Croezen (2nd place) takes the first seat and becomes group leader in the council.
