Rotterdam Museum Embroiled In Bribery Scandal Over Construction Contracts

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Rotterdam's Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has become a focal point in a local corruption scandal concerning civil servants. These employees allegedly accepted bribes to award inflated construction contracts for public projects.

Formal suspicions of corruption, which included the museum's asbestos treatment initiative and other local building endeavors, surfaced in 2020, according to a 2023 report by the Dutch publication NRC. Following a subsequent NRC report in 2024, Rotterdam's city council initiated a criminal investigation, which is currently ongoing.

An internal investigation by the city led to fraud accusations against three employees. One of these individuals has since retired, while the other two have been dismissed from their positions. Last month, Rotterdam Mayor Carola Schouten stated in a briefing that the two fired employees were found to have been“accepting gifts from the municipality's business contacts in exchange for possible preferential treatment.” These employees are also suspected of forgery.

The executive board of Rotterdam also indicated that information received in July from prosecutors suggested the two terminated workers had acted“substantially worse” than the city's own investigation had initially revealed.

The asbestos removal process at the museum commenced in 2021, after a significant amount of asbestos was discovered in the air ducts of the Van der Steur and Bodon buildings, according to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen's website. The contractor responsible for this project was A. van Liempd Sloopbedrijven BV, the museum's website also confirmed.

A spokesperson for the institution informed The Art Newspaper that Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has chosen not to comment publicly on the matter. The museum, which closed in 2019 for a comprehensive renovation, is not anticipated to reopen its main building before 2030. Since 2021, a large part of its collection has been exhibited at the Depot, a publicly accessible storage facility adjacent to the main museum.

We previously reported:

Two Rotterdam civil servants were dismissed for allegedly accepting bribes related to inflated construction contracts, including work at Museum Boijmans Van

Europol's new report reveals an alarming increase in violence, organized crime, and the use of weapons in museum thefts across Europe.

Source: Artforum

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