The Public Prosecution Service is provisionally appealing against the former alderman of The Hague Richard de Mos. The Justice Department reported this on Thursday afternoon. The Public Prosecution Service says it is still considering whether it actually wants to conduct the appeal case. Two weeks ago, the court of Rotterdam acquitted De Mos and his associates of corruption and bribery during his campaign for the 2018 municipal elections. Only catering man Atilla Akyol received a four-month suspended prison sentence for illegal possession of weapons.
De Mos, party leader of the local party Hart voor Den Haag/Group de Mos, is late a reaction “deeply” regret that the judiciary “wants to hold the city of The Hague politically hostage even longer”. According to De Mos, “The Hague breathed a sigh of relief after having had the Sword of Damocles over its head for 3.5 years, during which the city council is heavily polarized”.
Read also The Public Prosecution Service receives harsh accusations from the court for the complete acquittal of Richard de Mos
In 2018, Hart voor Den Haag/Groep de Mos became the largest in the city council of The Hague. A year later, the National Criminal Investigation Department raided the offices of De Mos and his fellow party member Rachid Guernaoui in The Hague’s city hall. According to the Public Prosecution Service, De Mos would have been bribed by five businessmen from The Hague, who would have financed his campaign in exchange for political services. In addition, he would have committed perjury, formed a criminal organization with his co-defendants and violated his oath of office.
However, the court ruled that there are simply no well-developed rules for party financing of local parties. According to the judge, that defect “could not be solved with criminal law”. Malicious intentions of the giver and recipient of the party gifts have also not been proven by the prosecution. De Mos denied all allegations and called his prosecution a “witch hunt without borders” by the judiciary. According to the politician, he only practices ‘ombudsman politics’.
The Public Prosecution Service will appeal for the time being so that the statutory application period does not expire. Whether an appeal case will actually take place has yet to be decided, the OM says: “The verdict is currently still being studied. It is a complex criminal case with social impact, which requires careful consideration with regard to the appeal.” In his statement, De Mos denounces that the Public Prosecution Service does not give a decision date: “Now no one knows when this agony for the city will come to an end.”