A former top justice ministry official has appeared in court for the first time to answer questions that he sexually abused boys in the 1980s.

The hearings are part of preliminary interviews for a civil case brought by a former boy prostitute who claims he was abused by Joris Demmink and other highly placed officials involved in a child prostitution ring.

Bart van Well, who claims to have been drugged and abused for several years, is suing the state for failing to take action even though officials were aware what was going on.

Demmink, a former secretary general at the justice ministry, told the court he had never had sex with under age boys or been in locations where boy prostitutes were being abused.

Porn star

According to the Volkskrant, he answered questions for around 20 minutes ‘and denied everything, as he always does’. However, Demmink did admit to having a relationship with Hungarian porn star Libor Ctvrlik which he has previously denied, the paper says.

Earlier on Friday, two former police officers told the court they were involved with an investigation into an alleged child prostitution ring known as the ‘Rolodex inquiry’ and that Demmink had been mentioned as one of the suspects.

However, the inquiry was dropped on the orders of senior officials, they told the court. ‘I’ve never come across an investigation like it being halted half way,’ one said.

Witnesses

The former police officer said former junior justice minister Fred Teeven, then a senior official at the public prosecution department, was present when the investigation was stopped and was aware Demmink was a suspect.

Teeven told judges earlier that Demmink was not a suspect in the Rolodex inquiry.

In total, nine witnesses are being heard on the allegations that senior politicians knew about and used underage male prostitutes in the 1980s.

Accusations of sexual abuse have dogged Joris Demmink, who spent 10 years as head of the civil service in the justice department, for years. In 2012, several witnesses told the Algemeen Dagblad that in the 1980s Demmink had contact with Dick Willard, a notorious pimp of underage boys.

Demmink may also face charges in connection with the rape of two Turkish boys in the 1990s. The public prosecution service said last month it had completed that investigation and would state this month whether or not it will press charges.