Amsterdam — The Netherlands has filed suit against Médecins Sans Frontières to recover almost $1.25-million Canadian that it paid in ransom to win the release of a kidnapped employee of the humanitarian group, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The suit, filed in Switzerland, is the latest instalment in an unusual public feud between the aid agency, known also as Doctors Without Borders, and the Dutch government. Initially both the agency and the government denied paying ransom.
Arjan Erkel, a Dutch citizen, was released April 11 after being held in southern Russia for 20 months. He was kidnapped by masked gunmen while on assignment for the Swiss arm of the organization.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it was suing to recover the money “because Médecins Sans Frontières promised to repay the loan but now doesn't want to do so.”
“The case will take place in Switzerland because Arjan Erkel worked for the Swiss arm of Médecins Sans Frontières, which has responsibility for the safety of its employees,” the statement said.
Both sides agree that the Dutch Embassy in Moscow paid a total of $1.62-million, including $372,960 of agency money, to a group of former Russian intelligence agents who brokered Mr. Erkel's release.
Médecins Sans Frontières could not immediately comment but has said in the past that it “did not receive or borrow any money from the Dutch government and was not involved” in negotiations.
Stella Ronner, a spokeswoman for the Dutch Foreign Ministry, said the money was handed over “in the presence of MSF representatives,” who handled negotiations and approved the deal.
Both sides also agree the deal was arranged on short notice, and it remains unclear who kidnapped Mr. Erkel or what happened to the ransom money.
Even after his release, Mr. Erkel said he was not sure who his captors were. He was unharmed but almost 40 pounds lighter.
