Bus firm Connexxion must pay its former director Peter Kortenhorst the almost €2m he is formally entitled to, a court in Utrecht ruled on Wednesday.

Kortenhorst was brought in to reorganise the then-state owned Connexxion in 2001 and prepare it for privatisation. But he was sacked in 2008 a year after French transport firm Transdev and BNG bought two-thirds of the company.
But the supervisory board disagreed with the sacking and worked out a compensation package with Kortenhorst, including a ‘special advisor’ role with the bus firm, the Financieele Dagblad says.
Connexxion’s owners, including former finance minister Wouter Bos, then agreed and then refused to honour the deal, leading Kortenhorst to take legal action.
A spokesman for the transport ministry said the department was studying the ruling and refused to rule out an appeal.