Rotterdam dismisses two officials in widening probe over municipal construction and museum fraud

Dismissals over construction tender bribery

The municipality of Rotterdam dismissed two civil servants with immediate effect during the summer of 2026 on corruption charges. An executive letter sent by the college of mayor and aldermen to the municipal council in mid-July 2026 disclosed the measures, though the document initially went unnoticed. Municipal leaders acted after receiving a detailed briefing from the Public Prosecution Service on 6 July 2026 concerning an active criminal inquiry into official corruption and procurement fraud. According to municipal authorities, the two employees accepted gifts from private contractors who subsequently received preferential treatment during the allocation of municipal assignments. The actions breached the Dutch Civil Servants Act and the municipal code of conduct, while prosecutors placed the pair under formal suspicion for bribery and the forgery of official documents.

Discrepancies with internal municipal findings

Information provided by the Public Prosecution Service revealed that the conduct of the two employees was substantially more serious than the findings of the municipality's own prior internal inquiry. At least one of the dismissed workers served within the Urban Development department, matching the department of another project leader who left the administration under suspicion in late 2023. Investigators identified evidence showing that suspect construction firms routinely submitted fictitious cost claims on municipal work, enabled directly by the complicity of the municipal officials. The private residence of one of the newly dismissed civil servants was among several properties searched by law enforcement during previous investigative operations.

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and contractor ties

The broader criminal investigation originated from corruption uncovered during renovation work on municipal cultural landmarks. In late 2023, a municipal project leader departed under formal early retirement after disclosures of improper payments from a commercial installation firm. The project manager had received corporate funds through a personal enterprise established to mentor young football players while simultaneously awarding city contracts to the installation business. This project leader had direct oversight over cultural building renovations, notably the asbestos removal at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Later assessments established that Rotterdam overpaid millions of euros for the museum's asbestos abatement. Municipal staff members had warned municipal authorities about potential fraud in cultural renovation projects as early as 2020, but municipal leadership took minimal action at the time.

Expanding network of criminal suspects

A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service confirmed that the inquiry now encompasses 11 individual suspects, including the three municipal officials, alongside six commercial companies. Criminal investigators carried out extensive raids on commercial premises and residential addresses across multiple Dutch municipalities. Early searches targeted properties in The Hague and Echt, followed by an expanded round of searches in February 2025 that covered Capelle aan den IJssel, Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel, Middelburg, and the site of a demolition firm in Sint-Oedenrode. Legal counsel representing the involved installation and demolition business declined to comment on the allegations while the criminal investigation continues.