ANPGerald Roethof
NOS Nieuws•dinsdag, 16:18
Lawyer Gerald Roethof is suspected of leaking information in an ongoing investigation, it reports AD. The supervisor of the legal profession in Amsterdam, the dean of the Amsterdam Bar Association, discussed the suspicions yesterday during a session of the Discipline Council in Amsterdam. It handles complaints regarding the legal profession. Roethof denies that he leaked.
Both the Discipline Council and the Bar Association confirm to the NOS that the hearing took place yesterday, but both parties do not want to make any substantive announcements until the ruling.
The suspicions were reported by the Public Prosecution Service to the Bar Association. In 2020, a client of Roethof was arrested and a large amount of money was found in the suspect’s house. The client was placed under restriction, which means he is only allowed to have contact with his lawyer and no further contact with the outside world.
Encrypted
The lawyer is also not allowed to leak information. But information has nevertheless emerged: on the encrypted messaging service Encrochat, three anonymous users discussed the amount that had been seized. They might not have had that information without being aware of the investigation, the dean stated at the hearing, according to the newspaper.
The Encrochat communications service was dismantled in 2020. Decrypted messages were used as evidence during several criminal cases, but this is the first time in a disciplinary case, according to the AD.
Anonymous users
“We must be very aware that these are usernames of anonymous users. You are going to use anonymous witness evidence,” Gerard Spong said during the hearing of the case. He is one of Roethof’s lawyers.
The restrictions were not imposed immediately following the arrest of Roethof’s client, but only following the first interrogation. Roethof states that he has not shared information since the restrictions were imposed and that he was allowed to do so before.
The verdict in the case will be announced on March 25. If the Discipline Board agrees with the dean, there will be no prison sentence or fines, but a possible reprimand, warning or suspension.
