The former mayor of Meerssen in Limburg has been given community service of 60 hours for breaking confidentiality agreements surrounding the appointment of a new mayor of Roermond in 2012.

Ricardo Offermanns, a VVD party member, applied for the job and was given secret information about the appointment by local official and former VVD senator Jos van Rey.

Van Rey told Offermans about questions which would be asked at the interview and about the answers the appointments panel wanted to hear, the court in The Hague was told.

However, the court said the public prosecutor had not proved Van Rey wanted something in return for the information.

Offermans is appealing against the sentence.

Teeven

Van Rey is the subject of a wider investigation into corruption and bribery. The investigation into Van Rey began in 2012 when Limburg newspapers wrote about a potential conflict of interest due to his friendship with a property developer.

The investigation widened to include claims that he had leaked information about the selection procedure for the new Roermond mayor. Telephone taps revealed Van Rey had leaked information to two candidates and passed on the names of candidates to others, including the then junior justice minister Fred Teeven.

Teeven has admitted talking to Van Rey but there is no record of their conversation because of a ‘technical error’.