Five Dutch municipalities join forces to combat organized crime with new Bibob Expertise Team
Residents in De Bilt, Baarn, Bunschoten, Eemnes, and Soest will benefit from stricter checks on permits and contracts, as local governments team up to block criminal infiltration. The new Bibob Expertise Team aims to close loopholes that previously allowed fraud and money laundering to slip through.
| Key Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Municipalities | De Bilt, Baarn, Bunschoten, Eemnes, Soest (BES municipalities) |
| Initiative | Bibob Expertise Team (BET BES) |
| Purpose | Prevent crime by vetting permits, subsidies, and contracts |
| Targeted Crimes | Money laundering, fraud, criminal activities |
| Date of Agreement | March 27, 2026 |
| First of its Kind | Netherlands' first inter-municipal Bibob Expertise Team |
Municipalities in the Netherlands are responsible for enforcing the Bibob Act, which helps prevent criminal organizations from exploiting local permits and contracts. By pooling resources, these five municipalities aim to strengthen their defenses against organized crime and ensure public funds are not misused.
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external link to whydonate.comRead the full translated article below
The Netherlands' first Bibob Expertise Team is a reality
The fight against undermining crime is high on the agenda for the municipalities of De Bilt, Baarn, Bunschoten, Eemnes and Soest (BES municipalities). The Bibob Act is a valuable tool in combating undermining. The mayors of these five municipalities have therefore decided that the application of the Bibob Act must be taken to the next level. This is being done with the new Bibob Expertise Team BES municipalities: BET BES. Knowledge and capacity are brought together in this overarching Bibob Bureau. The five mayors have signed the underlying Bibob cooperation agreement today. With this, the Netherlands' first inter-municipal Bibob Expertise Team is a reality.
A municipality uses the Bibob Act to check whether a company or individual is reliable before granting a permit, subsidy or contract. The aim is to prevent the government from inadvertently facilitating crime, such as money laundering, fraud or criminal activities. Experience shows that some applicants keep searching until they find a municipality where the Bibob Act is not or hardly applied. Thanks to the Bibob Expertise Team, these five municipalities can now effectively deploy their knowledge to combat undermining.