One employee has been fired, others have received “serious warnings.” The University of Groningen (RUG) reports this in a press release on Monday evening published the NOS about the case.
The RUG has reported fraud, fraud and forgery of documents. The university has also seized the bank credit of the foundation and civil proceedings have been started against the foundation and one of its employees.
Serious facts
These are serious facts, according to the university, committed by employees of the Faculty of Letters. Money intended for the university ended up at the Noha Foundation. This foundation was established in 2014 without the knowledge of the University of Groningen.
The foundation, registered at the Faculty of Arts, has the following objectives: “to promote scientific activities by and through the Network On Humanitarian Action (NOHA) and in the field of humanitarian assistance in a broad sense.”
Noha is derived from the international program Network On Humanitarian Action, training for students in the field of humanitarian aid in crisis situations. This training is offered jointly by a network of European universities, including the RUG.
During a check by this European partner, uncertainties came to light.
Employee made payments to himself
One of the employees declared substantial amounts and made payments to themselves, according to the RUG. Because this was done through the foundation, there was no supervision from the university. This is the conclusion of a study that the University of Groningen had commissioned after doubts arose in March 2019 about the working methods of the employees.
The employee also used stationery and stamps from the RUG when entering into contracts with external parties. If a bank account was needed, the number of the foundation followed.
Jouke de Vries: “We are shocked”
“We are shocked by the seriousness of the facts,” says President Jouke de Vries. “Because of their actions, those involved have taken a great risk of reputation damage for the university. Moreover, the students’ confidence has been seriously damaged. “
De Vries indicates that the RUG “has to deal more often with incidents”. In 2016 it came to light that an employee of the facility company had swindled the university for 1.1 million. In September 2019, the university launched an investigation into the role of Professor Dimitry Kochenov in the controversial passport trade in Malta.
Rules for integrity
The Executive Board wants change. “We have clear rules for integrity, it is very important that employees act accordingly.”
De Vries says that there are enough procedures and rules. ,, Employees may only set up a foundation with the permission of the Faculty Board, but this has not happened in this case. On the other hand, employees simply have to follow the rules. The question is how we can now understand that. That is why integrity is certainly addressed in our new Strategic Plan. We just have to talk about it together. “
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Investigation of possible fraud RUG staff focuses on the Noha Foundation
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