ROTTERDAM, WILLEMSTAD - Shipbuilder Damen Shipyards, which is also in Curaçao, wants to stop the disclosure of memos about a corruption affair, but the public prosecution in the Netherlands wants them to be released.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs may release six internal memos containing information about the corruption affair of shipbuilder Damen Shipyards from Gorinchem in Sierra Leone. This is apparent from a judgment published by the Rotterdam District Court on Tuesday.
The Dutch news media NRC requested the memos a year ago with an appeal to the Government Information (Public Access) Act (Wob), following a raid by the FIOD fiscal investigation service at Damen in 2017. The Public Prosecution Service suspects that Damen paid bribes to foreign government officials.
The largest shipbuilder in the Netherlands is opposed to disclosure due to possible damage to its worldwide commercial interests. Chief executive René Berkvens visited the International Business Department of Foreign Affairs to argue against release and Damen went to court to prevent release.