The hunt for the source of the leak of a speech by Geert Wilders’ lawyer, ahead of the MP’s trial for inciting hatred and discrimination, took a new twist at the weekend when the Volkskrant said it too had been offered the papers.
The AD on Thursday published experts from Geert-Jan Knoops opening arguments, leading the lawyer to call for an investigation into the leak and suggesting his computer may have been hacked.
However, the Volkskrant said on Saturday it too had been offered the documents by a source who wished to remain anonymous. Although a planned meeting did not go ahead, the paper said the leak ‘did not appear to be the work of a hacker’.
The paper also speculates that the leak may have come from the Wilders’ camp itself.
‘It is well known that people in Wilders’ circles leak information. For example, various papers, including the AD and NRC, have quoted from emails sent by the party leader to MPs as well as text messages,’ the paper said.