Judges cleared of perjury

Two former court judges were on Friday cleared on charges of perjury and conflict of interests in connection with the sale of land around Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.


The court case was the latest stage in a 20-year legal battle over development land near Schiphol and followed a formal complaint by property developer Jan Poot, owner of the Chipsol development company.
Poot went to court in 2005 accusing local authorities, national government, air traffic control body LVNL and Schiphol airport of working together to prevent Chipsol developing a business park close to the airport in the 1990s.
Former judges Pieter Kalbfleisch, who later became head of the competition authority NMa, and Hans Westenberg were suspected of working together to help a former business partner of Poot buy land and of lying about their friendship under oath.
The charges against Kalbfleische and Westenberg were the result of a two-year investigation involving telephone taps.
Judges in Utrecht dismissed the charges saying there was not enough evidence against the men and describing one witness as untrustworthy.

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