Roger, the director of Chemie-Pack must know how you feel, sometimes ...

[Triple Zero]

Original article (Dutch)

Google translated version (semi-readable Engrish)

It's a VERY strange story btw, but I guess we'll hear wtf was up after the court hearings. Here's the Google translation, fixed up by me: (sorry for the bad english but it's a lot faster to fix up Google's translate to a readable state than write a proper translation)

Chemie-Pack employee admits but goes free

A 45-year old employee of Chemie-Pack has announced that he is the cause of the fire on January 5th that put two companies completely to ashes.

The man is not prosecuted as the prosecution had promised.  This is evident from various sources around the research.  The man had been walking around with his secret for seven months.

The fifth of January is a clear but cold day.  At the company Chemie-Pack in Moerdijk is a day like any other: lorries unloading chemicals and production employees are blending and repackaging them for further transport to other companies.

Among them was Mohammed, a valued workforce that has 13 years working in Chemicals-Pack.  In the afternoon at the filling stations in the covered area next to the "liquids hall" he has to pump a resinous liquid from one tank to another.  The pneumatic pump with which this occurs, will not start.  Possibly frozen by the cold last night.

Gas burner [like where this is going?]

Mohammed now does something that will destroy the company.  He picks up a gas burner and points it at pump for it to thaw.  The pump is connected to chemicals and there are containers with flammable products everywhere.  The pump catches fire and Muhammad realizes the fire is cannot be contained.  An extinguishing attempt by the alarmed fire safety coordinator is in vain.

A liquid plastic tank breaks down.  More combustibles caught fire and in no time everything except the pump is on fire.

The day after the fire, ask Gerard Spiering, director of the Chemical-Pack, probing what happened to Mohammed, but Mohammed says he does not know.  He stated that the pump spontaneously caught fire, no idea how this could have happened.

Interrogation

The weeks and months after the fire, the staff Chemie-Pack employed in the remaining branch in Oud-Gastel.  All the while Mohammed keeps his story to himself.  Every day he does his job and he just eats his sandwiches with his colleagues.  He survives the first wave of necessary layoffs, because the board appreciates him as an employee and are glad to keep him at the company.

The police in the course of time hears the management and all personnel of Chemistry-pack, some several times.  Among them was Mohammed, as he was working at the source of the fire.  Director Spiering notices that the interrogation of Mohammed often takes longer than others and afterwards Mohammed returns very upset. So much, that Spiering asks the police to go easier on him.

Early May Mohammad is again questioned in Breda.  This time, on behalf of the prosecution, attorney Koopmans makes him a remarkable promise: he says, he will in this investigation no longer be considered a suspect.  But Muhammad keeps his mouth shut.

Lifted from bed

Six weeks later, on Tuesday early morning, June 28, to everyone's surprise four people of Chemie-pack are lifted from their beds, the director, the safety expert, the production manager and production assistant.  They are suspected of violation of environmental laws.

Attorney Ronald Drenth protests and gets right to the magistrate.  The men would go home Sunday, July 3 at 15:00 , but this does not happen.  Ten minutes before they were going, they are in their cells arrested again, this time on suspicion of arson.

The Public Prosecutor has announced that new information is received about the origin of the fire.  It's about a possible rumor that came from an insurance man to the Justice department.

Confession

That night, Mohammed discusses the situation with his wife and decides to talk.  After all he has a promise from the Attorney General. He calls the police and make an appointment for the next morning.

On July 4 he finally tells the whole story: how he has made efforts to pump up and running and tried to get the thing to thaw by a gas burner aimed at a filter pump, with all its consequences.

In the months after that Mohammed is heard a few times.  All in all, thirteen times he is interrogated.  In a later interrogation of the accused, he also claims director Spiering would have discriminated against him.

Comments

Director Gerard Spiering was stunned.  He wonders how it is possible that Mohammed, who had been for so long with the company and he thought he knew him so well, had kept his mouth shut for more than half a year.  Lawyer Ronald Drenth, who assists the board, finds it curious that his clients stand trial and not the instigator of the fire.

"I understand the confessed instigator of the fire is not prosecuted while my clients are. That's the world upside down," said Drenth.  He also confirms that the Public Prosecutor promised Mohammed not to prosecute.  "It says in the case that an agreement was made between the Public Prosecutor and this man. What I think of it, I will only tell at the court hearing."

Director Seat

The prosecution won't confirm the deal or comment on our findings.  A Justice spokesman says there is a "good explanation" for it, but one that won't be told until the court hearing.  Mohammed was also approached, but he will not comment.

The trial will begin Friday, December 9 in Breda with a so-called pre-trial inter alia where will be examined whether there is additional research needed.  Three suspects will eventually be sued: Manager Spiering, the safety coordinator and production manager.  The charge is arson and violating environmental laws.

[Phox]

So... people who had literally no involvement in the incident at hand are being prosecuted on charges that are irrelevant at best, and the guy who actually confessed to it is... off the hook? Wat.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

That's fucked up!

[Triple Zero]

Yeah, it's pretty big news actually. I'm really curious to hear what the Justice spokesman's  "good explanation" is going to be.

(BTW I'm not sure if I got all the legal terms or their US equivalents correct)

When I read the first bit I was like "wow, a guy tried to thaw a pump with a gas burner and ends up torching the entire plant, Roger's gotta hear this" and I started translating, but as I got further (and meanwhile the story got shown on TV news) I realized this story is very strange and fucked up. I'm certain I'll hear more about it as it proceeds.

One thing the TV news mentioned is that apparently they used gas burners more often on the plant (hinting that this might be in ways they weren't intended for either), in which case I can sort of imagine the plant safety coordinator being held liable as well, perhaps. And Mohammed going free just sounds like a complete fuckup, they should have never made him that promise, but maybe they can't legally go back on that now, anymore. So I suspect whoever is responsible for that fuckup might be trying to cover their ass by getting the director, safety coordinator and production manager charged instead? No idea, this isn't exactly an area of Dutch law I'm very familiar with.

Oh and of course there's more covering up and covering of asses going on because this was the largest chemical fire disaster in Dutch history (said the TV news), very serious thing, with that in mind it does make sense that more than just an dumbass employee is going to catch shit for this because it should not have happened, period.

Additionally I can also imagine some sort of work/employee insurance thing being in effect where employees cannot be held fully liable for damages incurred by production "mishaps", you know? When Roger's filthy assistant wrecks some $20,000 machine, it doesn't go from their paycheck either.

I'm not saying it's right or anything, but there's a lot more than first meets the eye to this case.

[Phox]

Yeah, it's pretty big news actually. I'm really curious to hear what the Justice spokesman's  "good explanation" is going to be.

(BTW I'm not sure if I got all the legal terms or their US equivalents correct)

When I read the first bit I was like "wow, a guy tried to thaw a pump with a gas burner and ends up torching the entire plant, Roger's gotta hear this" and I started translating, but as I got further (and meanwhile the story got shown on TV news) I realized this story is very strange and fucked up. I'm certain I'll hear more about it as it proceeds.

One thing the TV news mentioned is that apparently they used gas burners more often on the plant (hinting that this might be in ways they weren't intended for either), in which case I can sort of imagine the plant safety coordinator being held liable as well, perhaps. And Mohammed going free just sounds like a complete fuckup, they should have never made him that promise, but maybe they can't legally go back on that now, anymore. So I suspect whoever is responsible for that fuckup might be trying to cover their ass by getting the director, safety coordinator and production manager charged instead? No idea, this isn't exactly an area of Dutch law I'm very familiar with.

Oh and of course there's more covering up and covering of asses going on because this was the largest chemical fire disaster in Dutch history (said the TV news), very serious thing, with that in mind it does make sense that more than just an dumbass employee is going to catch shit for this because it should not have happened, period.

Additionally I can also imagine some sort of work/employee insurance thing being in effect where employees cannot be held fully liable for damages incurred by production "mishaps", you know? When Roger's filthy assistant wrecks some $20,000 machine, it doesn't go from their paycheck either.

I'm not saying it's right or anything, but there's a lot more than first meets the eye to this case.

Hmm.  Well, if people at the plant wer indeed using equipment in dangerous ways, then yeah, the safety coordinator should have his ass on the line, and its not entirely unreasonable to extend that to the director and maybe the production manager, depending on who may or may not have been aware and had the power to put an end to it or cover for it. However, it still makes no sense that the person who actually caused the incident isn't facing any sort of legal censure, as it IS a big deal (filthy assistant destroying a $20,000 piece of equipment doesn't rate legal consequences necessarily, but as you said, this is the largest chemical fire disaster ever, so that's a bit more weighty, I would think.)

But yeah, I agree, this is definitely one of those situations in which there needs to be a certain degree of both personal and ..er, company accountability. With these added details, I can see why those being prosecuted might be involved in the atmosphere that directly led to the "mishap". I would definitely like you to keep us informed of this, Trip. I think it will be worthwhile to keep up with it.

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

I like the juxtaposition of the horrible chemical fire/culpability clusterfuck and the repetition of the cutesy term, "Chemie-Pack".

[Phox]

I like the juxtaposition of the horrible chemical fire/culpability clusterfuck and the repetition of the cutesy term, "Chemie-Pack".

Ha. I wasn't even thinking about that. It is pretty lulzy, though. 

[Triple Zero]

"Chemie" is just the word for "chemistry"

[Phox]

"Chemie" is just the word for "chemistry"

Doesn't matter (but thanks for the explanation). To us English 1 speakers, it sounds really cutesie. 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I was amused that theres a place called "more dick"

(figured i would point that out since trip got a kick out of how i pronounced hoegaarden)