THE Dutch Government yesterday threatened to sue Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the relief agency, for the refund of the $1 million (£550,000) that it claims bought the release of a Dutch employee held in Russia.
The Government said it had no alternative since MSF was refusing to return the money it allegedly paid for the release of Arjan Erkel in April, after his captivity in the southern region of Dagestan. Mr Erkel, who worked for the Swiss branch of MSF, was held for 20 months in one of the longest kidnappings of an aid worker in the Caucasus.
Soon after Mr Erkel’s abduction, relations between MSF and the Dutch and Russian Governments turned sour as the relief agency accused the authorities of neglecting the case. MSF said the Russians had blocked their own investigation and it was still unclear how Mr Erkel was released.
Over the past two weeks, aid workers and diplomats have deplored the airing of a dispute that sheds light on the normally secret business of ransom negotiation in the lawless and war-stricken Caucasus region. They fear that confirmation of the payment will encourage bandits and terrorists to seize more captives.
MSF said it had never consented to a ransom payment and that it deplored all payment of ransom on principle.
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“On April 8, MSF was informed at the last minute of a deal negotiated by the Dutch Government for the liberation of Arjan Erkel,” it said. “The MSF official in charge of the case accepted the Dutch Government pursue its initiative.”
Dutch Foreign Ministry officials said MSF had given its word to repay what was considered to be a loan. MSF acknowledged it had deposited €250,000 (£166,000) with the Dutch Embassy in Moscow before the hostage’s release. This money had been intended for operational expenses, not ransom, it said.
Bart Jochems, a ministry spokesman, said the Dutch had not negotiated but had consented to a hasty deal that had been brokered by KGB veterans at the request of MSF. “There was a small window of 24 hours in which Erkel could be freed. They couldn’t get the money together that quickly and we fronted it. They promised to pay it back as quickly as possible,” he said.