Dutch junior finance minister quits after questions over his personal investments

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Dutch junior minister for finance quit Friday following criticism of his refusal to publish details of his personal investments. He is the first member of the new hard right-dominated ruling coalition to resign since it was installed in July.

Folkert Idsinga is a member of the New Social Contract party that campaigned last year on pledges to restore trust in elected officials following a string of government scandals.

But he came under fire this week after refusing to disclose details of his shareholdings and other investments. His government portfolio includes the tax office and taxation policy.

Announcing his resignation Friday, he insisted he had done nothing wrong, saying he had followed established procedures by declaring his investments to the official who vetted new Cabinet members and putting them into a holding foundation so that he could not interact with them while in office.

That did not stop opposition lawmakers and the ruling Party for Freedom of election winner Geert Wilders calling on Idsinga to reveal exact details of the companies in which he has investments.

In a sign of strained relations in the four-party government sworn in on July 2, Idsinga took aim at Wilders' party as he explained his decision to quit.

“One of the parties that supported this request is our largest coalition party. For me, this is unacceptable. For me, this directly affects the trust that the House of Representatives has in me as a minister and I cannot and do not want to function effectively in this way. So I draw a line in the sand,” he said.

Idsinga told reporters in The Hague that he would make public details of his investments at a later date and took a parting swipe at online criticism of government ministers.

“I experience the way in which messages are spread via social media as very harmful to politics," he said. "In addition, people from outside may be discouraged in this way from committing themselves to the political cause of the country. And this is not the way in which to govern a country.”