VWS responds to Van Lienden: we do not need secrecy | Inland

“The need for secrecy does not lie with us,” said outgoing minister Tamara van Ark of Medical Care on Friday afternoon. “At the time, agreements were made between companies about the delivery, those agreements can also be lifted. Companies that normally compete with each other have worked together during the corona period. It was a special situation, a crisis. The ministry has not made those agreements and everything about us may therefore be disclosed,” says Van Ark.

Van Lienden, with whom the ministry concluded a face mask deal, previously said in a statement that VWS would not want to lift secrecy so that he and his company, Relief Goods Alliance, cannot provide information about the transaction. Van Lienden has always refused to explain the matter because he says he must adhere to the duty of confidentiality.

face masks

Earlier this month, it appeared from a publication by de Volkskrant that the opinion maker and activist earned a lot of money from the mouth mask deal with VWS, while he had repeatedly said before that he would supply the masks selflessly. The quality of the mouth caps was also not undisputed. They are currently unused in storage. After an investigation, Follow The Money stated that Van Lienden and his business partners may have earned 30 million euros.

The ministry will hand over everything that can be provided about the issue to the House of Representatives. The documents contain information about agreements made between companies, united in the consortium LCH, about the deal. This includes purchasing and distribution agreements. “The House of Representatives has asked for this and we are now mapping that,” says Van Ark. She expects to have the data ready in the course of next week.

“At the very beginning of the corona crisis, when there was an enormous need for personal protective equipment and the supply came to a halt, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport did it itself for a while, but it is not our expertise.” According to Van Ark, a consortium, a group of companies, was formed at the request of VWS, which made agreements not to compete with each other during the pandemic.

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