Exposing a prosecutor
The week's news at a glance.
Amsterdam
A Dutch TV news show embarrassed the government this week when it reported that it had obtained the secret files of the Netherlands’ top prosecutor. Leading public prosecutor Joost Tonino had left his old hard drive at the curb for trash pickup, and an astute cabdriver grabbed it and brought it to a reporter. Easily recoverable on the computer were not only Tonino’s personal credit card numbers and tax statements, but also secret government information about organized crime investigations. The government’s entire case against former Philips CEO Cor Boonstra, who is accused of insider trading, was also there for anyone to see. The chagrined Tonino will keep his job, but according to the daily Trouw, “Rarely has a civil servant—a magistrate, no less—gotten such a trouncing in the Parliament.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Hospital league tables: how does the new ranking system work?
The Explainer NHS trusts are now ranked according to six performance indicators, with leaders of low-performing facilities facing penalties
-
Quiz of The Week: 6 – 12 September
Quiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The week’s best photos
In Pictures A palace on fire, a shopping cart protest, and more