Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen caught up in alleged bribery scandal as civil servants dismissed

Rotterdam has dismissed two civil servants accused of accepting bribes and approving over-inflated construction contracts connected to municipal building projects, including asbestos treatment at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Mayor Carola Schouten told the city council last month. One of three employees accused of fraud retired, while the other two were first suspended and then summarily fired for breaching the code of conduct by allegedly accepting gifts in exchange for preferential treatment; they are also suspected of forgery and “passive bribery.” Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad reported in 2023 that corruption concerns around cultural-institution building projects had surfaced three years earlier, and Schouten said the council asked police to investigate in 2024; a criminal investigation is ongoing. The museum, closed for renovation since 2019 and expected to reopen in 2029, declined to comment, noting the municipality manages its buildings and renovations.

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