Enschede allowance mother Riemke refuses settlement: 'I want to know why I was seen as a fraudster'

Riemke Jansen from Enschede - and with her a large group of recognized victims of the benefits affair - received a settlement proposal of 5000 euros from the Ministry of Finance this week. She does not agree, because then she would never be able to view her entire file with the tax authorities. Benefits lawyer Narda Teke-Bozkurt says that many of her clients react like this: “They see it as an insult.”

Frank Timmers 13-09-24, 06:00 Last update: 08:15

Jansen is one of the more than four thousand parents who have objected to the comprehensive assessment of the extent to which they are victims of the benefits affair. This is about the years in which it happened and what type of damage it is. The objection has not been completed yet, but now she is receiving a proposal for a settlement. If she signs this proposal, her objection will be considered settled.

'I'm going to continue'

The woman from Enschede is angry and does not agree. “I'm not interested in the money,” she says. “In fact, I think that if I continue with my objection, I will get less than the 5000 euro.” Like all other victims, she has already received 30,000 euros as general compensation. Jansen got into big trouble when the tax authorities forced her to pay back childcare allowance, which now turned out to be unjustified. She lost two of her four children.

In the proposal, the Department of Finance's Fees Department says that 5,000 euros is a good amount for Jansen's objection and for “the long wait”. If she agrees, “we will stop looking into the objection” and “agree that the objection has been resolved”. It also says: “If there is another appeal, stop it. You can also no longer file a new objection or appeal later. The full assessment is final.”

Money for a lawyer

The Allowances Service also pays 3,500 euros to parents to pay their lawyer, if they have one. “If you have made another request for a penalty payment, we will also pay it out,” says the Surcharges Service. They recommend talking to an attorney. “Maybe it's better to continue with the objection. Maybe our proposal is better.” But they also warn that it may take a long time before the objection is dealt with.

Moneywolves

Attorney Teke-Bozkurt from Enschede helps 170 people who are victims of the Allowance scandal. She is also a victim herself. She has spoken to six of her clients, and they do not want to accept the settlement proposal. “People find it very insulting. The ministry apparently still thinks it's just about money. They see people as money wolves. But people want to see their file, which they still haven't received.”

On June 26, the cabinet said it would come up with a settlement proposal. State Secretary Aukje de Vries of Finance called it a “one-off catch-up” because there are many objections that still need to be addressed. She wants to make the process go faster this way. She also thinks it could save millions if fewer objections have to be dealt with.

Fast money

On the other hand, 5000 euros is often more than what people receive after dealing with their objection, as benefits victim Jansen also says. Jansen is concerned that people who are now short of money may accept the offer to get money quickly. “So they have a little more space,” she says. “But they're actually having money problems because of the benefits affair.”

According to lawyer Teke-Bozkurt, an important reason for not agreeing to the settlement proposal is that people cannot assess whether the proposal is fair. This is because they do not have the file on the basis of which they were offered additional compensation. Jansen says it is essential that she gets her hands on that file. That is why she continues with her objection.

Personal story

Jansen explains: “I want to be able to see the data on the basis of which the tax authorities identified me as a fraud. I want to see the timeline of that and know what amounts it must have involved. This is also important because I no longer have that data myself. For me, it's about that whole, personal story. It's about almost twenty years ago. Bank statements are no longer available and I can't see them myself in the government either.”

The ministry states that this proposal does not expire the right to the personal file. “Everyone can see it eventually,” says a spokesperson. The settlement proposal was made to people who objected to the comprehensive assessment of their situation as benefits victims before 1 June. In addition, the UHT authority, which carries out the recovery operation surcharges, had not yet decided on the objection on 1 September.