Justice minister Ivo Opstelten is being accused of misleading parliament over an out of court settlement struck between the public prosecution department and a major drugs smuggler in 2001.

Piet Doedens, who was Cees H’s lawyer at the time, told the Volkskrant on Friday, the public prosecutor paid almost five million guilders (almost €2.3m) to his law firm which was then transferred to the drug smuggler’s own account.

Junior justice minister Fred Teeven was public prosecutor at the time. Last month, a television news show revealed Teeven had struck an out of court settlement with H which helped him launder money stashed in a Luxemburg bank account.

Nieuwsuur said at first sight the deal appeared to involve H handing over €750,000 to the authorities in return for having his assets unfrozen. But the deal also involved the justice department paying ‘surplus’ money back to him.

Cars and property

Opstelten told parliament last month the cash involved was 1.25 million guilders but both Doedens and H’s current lawyer Jan-Hein Kuijpers say the sum was much higher.

Doedens told the Volkskrant H was also allowed to keep his property, a yacht, luxury cars and jewels.

Opstelten told parliament on Friday he would inform parliament fully about the case again next week, news agency ANP said.