Remember the big Moerdijk disaster?. Not the low-level employee who started the fire that set chemical packaging company Chemie-Pack ablaze was prosecuted (clumsy attempt to unblock a pump with a gas burner) but his managers. Today the trial proceedings came to a close and the prosecutor is demanding jail time (2 to 4 years) for the CEO, the production manager and the safety guy (NRC, BNR). Charge: overall neglect of safety regulations and deliberate arson. The most detailed information can be found at the website of the public prosecution office itself (link), no thanks, journalists! Interesting details: personnel was not paid by the hour but by units processed, mobile phones where used in area's with explosion risk, and last but not least the prosecutors blamed management for allowing personnel or at least not restraining personnel from engaging in reckless forklift truck driving (!). Out of 4 years how much time is allotted for the forklift driving? A month? Two months? The prosecutor should understand forklifts are A fun to drive and B driving a forklift requires a special licence. Nowhere is alleged licences were missing so perhaps it would be a better idea to prosecute the organization issuing these licences.
Unfortunately, in this country judges are not elected (sorry, no jurors either!) and prosecutors can do as they please. To be continued.