International

On the initiative of the SP, a parliamentary inquiry will be held on anti-fraud campaigns by government services. The SP, fronted by Renske Leijten, wished the parliament would employ the heaviest means available. SP-leader Lilian Marijnissen: ‘It took almost two years, but perseverance pays off. Now we can really break open the cesspool of the benefits affair. The parents deserve justice, and the Netherlands deserves a fair government.’

Marijnissen and Leijten have been pleading for a parliamentary inquiry for longer. During the benefits affair thousands of parents, and their children were crushed by an unfair government. ‘Time after time, the cesspool opens a little and we get a piece of the puzzle of a gigantic scandal. Now we can finally assemble the puzzle and find out who did what. We’ve got a long way to go but let this be the start of a new era. Of building a just and fair government, that truly is there when you need it.’

This parliamentary inquiry will do a broader enquiry than just the benefits affair. ‘The SP is receiving a legion of signals that the government oversteps its boundaries on many more occasions when it comes to detecting and combatting fraud. Through hard work, we managed to get small bits of information on the table in the benefits affair. With this parliamentary inquiry, we’re bringing everything that goes wrong considering anti-fraud into the light.’