The former head of housing association Rochdale has been jailed for 2.5 years for bribery, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering.

Hubert Mollenkamp, who is 66, was sacked in 2009 when the bribery scandal broke. Known for his love of fast cars, including a Maserati, Mollenkamp is thought to have taken bribes worth some €2m over a 10-year period.

Mollenkamp’s wife and two former business partners were also found guilty of fraud and bribery. His wife was given 240 hours community service and the two business partners jail terms of one and two months.

Rochdale is based in Amsterdam and has some 38,000 social housing properties on its books.