Dutch Premier Set to Testify in Trial of Ex-NCTV Official
(MENAFN) Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof is set to testify in the criminal trial of a former counterterrorism official charged with leaking state secrets to Morocco, a Dutch court confirmed on Friday.
The trial revolves around 65-year-old Ab el M., a former staff member of the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV). El M. was arrested in October 2023 at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport while attempting to board a flight to Morocco, carrying multiple data storage devices, according to media.
Schoof, who previously led the NCTV, will give testimony alongside Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, the agency’s current chief. The Rotterdam District Court revealed that both will provide insights into the suspect's role within the agency and his access to highly classified information.
The proceedings will be held behind closed doors, with no public or media access allowed.
Prosecutors allege that El M. intended to pass sensitive Dutch government information to Moroccan intelligence services. After nearly 20 months in pre-trial detention, El M. was conditionally released earlier this week. The court explained that the decision to release him came after weighing the length of the investigation against his personal circumstances.
“The personal interest of the suspect in his release has now come to outweigh the interest in criminal proceedings,” the court stated, stressing the gravity of the charges.
El M. has denied all allegations.
“I have not handed over state secret information in any way, to anyone,” he asserted during a prior hearing.
His defense attorney also noted that El M.’s silence on the matter is due to a confidentiality oath he swore during his tenure with the agency.
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