Lawyers Gerard Spong and Emile van Reydt share the surprise about the decision. They forced the Public Prosecution Service to investigate possible criminal acts of the NAM.
“The Public Prosecution Service does not recognize that in principle every earthquake entails a substantial danger to life”, says Spong. “Not only the danger of collapse is relevant, but also the danger of falling beams, planks, etc. In short, a (Groningen) earthquake is wrongly downgraded by the Public Prosecution Service to a piece of cake. We oppose that.”
“The situations described by our clients, from a split chimney above a children’s bedroom to falling glass shards the size of a kitchen knife, have undeniably been life-threatening. Anyone who does not recognize this is seeing blind”, adds Van Reydt.
Good news
The NAM calls the decision of the Public Prosecution Service good news. “This decision was taken by the officer after an extensive investigation into the facts and statements of those involved. Of course we still have to await the approval of the court, but this is an important step”, says director Johan Atema.
The NAM regrets that many residents in Groningen “suffered considerable nuisance and damage from the quakes”. “The unrest that this caused has left deep marks on many Groningers and has radically changed the lives of a large number of residents. The NAM regrets that.”
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