Dutch PM is set to testify in case involving leaked documents
(MENAFN) Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof is set to provide testimony in a high-profile criminal case involving a former counterterrorism official accused of leaking classified information to Morocco, according to reports from a Dutch court on Friday.
The case involves 65-year-old Ab el M., a former staff member at the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV), who was taken into custody in October 2023 at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Authorities reportedly found him in possession of multiple data storage devices while preparing to board a flight to Morocco.
Schoof, who once led the NCTV, is expected to testify along with the current head of the agency, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg. Their statements will focus on the defendant’s position at the agency and the extent of his access to confidential materials.
The Rotterdam District Court announced that the hearings will take place behind closed doors, with no access granted to the media or public.
Prosecutors claim that El M. was attempting to hand over sensitive Dutch government information to Moroccan intelligence agencies.
El M. had been held in pre-trial detention for nearly 20 months until his conditional release earlier this week. The court explained that the prolonged duration of the investigation, combined with personal considerations, led to the decision.
“The personal interest of the suspect in his release has now come to outweigh the interest in criminal proceedings,” the court stated, though it also reaffirmed the gravity of the accusations.
El M. has denied any wrongdoing.
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