FVD councillor spent thousands in tax money on steak dinners

A provincial councillor for the far-right party Forum voor Democratie (FVD) spent two years’ worth of a public expenses allowance on 117 restaurant meals, an investigation by regional broadcaster Omroep Zeeland has found.

Martin Bos, who sits in the provincial council of Zeeland, used a fund intended for running costs such as debate preparation, training and meeting rooms to pay for dinners that included frog’s legs, caviar and beer.

The broadcaster obtained the receipts through freedom of information requests. They showed that Bos, who sits as a one-man group, spent far more on “meeting costs” than larger groups: more than €1,500 in 2023, against around €500 for the nine-member BBB, and €10,000 in 2024, when no other group came close.

In all, 88.5% of the meeting costs Bos claimed went on food.

Some of the stated justifications sat awkwardly with the menu. A receipt headed “discussing the nitrogen problem” covered a Wagyu burger, steak tips and rib fingers. A meal at a Greek restaurant in Middelburg was logged as “evaluation of the Holocaust commemoration” – an event that took place two days later.

No laws broken
The king’s commissioner of Zeeland, Hugo de Jonge – the crown-appointed governor of the province and a former cabinet minister – said the spending crossed a line. “Everyone understands that this is not how it should be done,” he said. “Even if something is not unlawful, it is of course irresponsible.”

Stricter rules on claims were only introduced in June 2025, and Bos broke no law.
He defended the dinners as a “social lubricant” that created a good atmosphere for exchanging ideas, and argued he had saved taxpayers money by not hiring a group assistant. Asked whether 117 dinners were morally defensible, he said it had been “a bit stupid” that the group spent so little.

Between March 2023 and June 2024, Bos attended no provincial committee meetings. It is also unclear whether he remains FVD’s group leader in Zeeland; the national party says it has no knowledge of his position.

It is the latest in a string of financial and internal scandals to hit the party, including undeclared business interests and accusations of toxic internal culture.

FVD’s national leadership has even bigger troubles. In May, parliamentary leader Lidewij de Vos came under fire in a heated debate on political violence, when prime minister Rob Jetten and opposition leaders accused the party of helping to stoke attacks on asylum centres – unrest De Vos condemned but called understandable given government policy.