Dutch Finance Minister Forced to Resign Amid Investment Disclosure Pressure

Dutch junior Finance Minister Folkert Idsinga resigned after pressure to disclose details about his investments. Far-right leader Geert Wilders, siding with opposition, urged full disclosure. Idsinga, who claimed the call for disclosure was unnecessary, indicated that most of his wealth was in savings with an independent manager overseeing his stocks.

Dutch junior Finance Minister Folkert Idsinga, who managed tax policies, resigned under mounting pressure to disclose his personal investments. He stated that being forced to reveal all his interests by political pressure led to his decision to step down.

The call for transparency was led by far-right leader Geert Wilders, in coalition with the opposition. They demanded comprehensive disclosure after Dutch broadcaster RTL reported Idsinga's assets totaled around 6 million euros. Prime Minister Dick Schoof upheld that Idsinga had adhered to procedural norms.

Idsinga was the first casualty in the fragile coalition government's tenure, which is marked by immigration policy tensions. While Idsinga promised to detail his investments later, most of his finances remain in savings and externally managed stocks.

(With inputs from agencies.)