Rotterdam city council has made a formal police complaint against former Rotterdam port boss Willem Scholten and businessman Joep van den Nieuwenhuijzen, the city’s mayor announced on Wednesday evening.

The council suspects Scholten of taking bribes from the businessman in return for loan guarantees between 2002 and 2004. It bases its claim on new information from finance ministry investigators.
Scholten has been under investigation since it emerged he had guaranteed bank loans to Van den Nieuwenhuijzen to the tune of €150m without consultation with the rest of the port authority.
The port guarantee allowed Van den Nieuwenhuijzen to borrow large sums of money on behalf of his now bankrupt company RDM.