SITTARD - The prosecution is bringing eight Limburg (former) officials to trial for corruption. Three former senior Janssen de Jong Infra employees who allegedly bribed the officials are also being prosecuted, a prosecutor's office spokesman confirmed.
At the road construction company it concerns director Rob A. and regional managers Mark J. and Aart van de B. They no longer work for Janssen de Jong (Jajo). Twelfth, a former employee of the municipality of Spijkenisse is also being sued for allegedly taking bribes. The Justice Department has not yet decided whether road construction company Janssen de Jong Infra itself will be prosecuted for bribing officials. The company is suspected of that. The Justice Department also has yet to decide whether or not to bring to trial fifteen other persons who are suspects in this case. These are mainly other (former) employees of Jajo Infra, subcontractors and the wife of one of the accused officials. According to the prosecution, they all played a role in the major corruption affair. That case came into the open on January 27, 2009 with a major action by the justice department in which eleven people were arrested. After more than a year of investigation, the Public Prosecutor's Office believes it has sufficient evidence to deal with the protagonists. Of the suspected Limburg officials, one worked for the province. The others were municipal officials from Maastricht, Sittard-Geleen, Stein, Nuth and Heerlen (three).
Almost all of them have lost their jobs because of the affair. Some are still contesting their dismissal, a few profess their innocence like Ton B. (Sittard) and Lino P. (Heerlen). Heerlen civil servant Fred P., the only one who kept his job, is also being prosecuted. This is striking because he had nothing to do with road construction. According to the prosecution, he was nevertheless important to Jajo because he was the personal (PR) assistant of ex-mayor Toine Gresel. Jajo paid for garden work for P., according to the prosecution. However, according to Raymond Vlecken, Fred P.'s lawyer, the prosecution's suspicions are based on nothing at all. Vlecken is going to try to prevent a lawsuit against his client. Gresel could not be reached last night.
