Patricia Remak

Infobox_Politician
name = Patricia Remak


caption =
birth_date =Birth date and age|1965|7|16|df=y
birth_place =Amsterdam, Netherlands
residence = Amsterdam
death_date =
death_place =
office = Independent member of the States-Provincial of Noord-Holland
salary =
term_start = 2005
term_end = 2007
office2 = Member of the States-Provincial of Noord-Holland for the VVD
salary =
term_start2 = 2003
term_end2 = 2005
office3= Member of Parliament for the VVD
term_start3 = 1998
term_end3 = 2002
office4 = Stadsdeelwethouder Amsterdam-Zuidoost
term_start4 = 1997
term_end4 = 1998
successor =
party = VVD, independent
religion =Moravian Church
constituency =
majority =
spouse =
children =
website =
footnotes =

Patricia Joan (Patricia) Remak-Boerenstam (Amsterdam, July 16 1965) is a former Dutch politician of Surinam descent. She was stadsdeelwethouder (Ward Alderman) for the liberal Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie in the ward Amsterdam Zuidoost. She was also a member of the Tweede Kamer (lower house).

Career

Patricia Remak studied tax law at the University of Leiden. Before she became an MP, she was a ward alderman in the ward Amsterdam Zuidoost. Her portfolio contained welfare, sport and finances. In the Tweede Kamer, her portfolio contained finances (taxes), development aid and state spendings. When she left the Tweede Kamer, Remak joined the VVD fraction in the States-Provincial of the province Noord-Holland in 2003. In June 2005 she left the VVD fraction after 'large political differences' and continued as a independent member of the States-Provincial. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=P. Remak stapt uit VVD-fractie |url=http://www.noord-holland.nl/thema/nieuws/archief/persberichten/2003/nieuwsberichten_4_2003/remak_uit_vvd.asp?thema=home&ComponentID=74082&SourcePageID=75775#74082 |work=Provincie Noord-Holland |publisher= |date=2005-06-10 |accessdate=2008-06-20 |language=Dutch]

Fraud

Remak was convicted of benefits fraud in January 2007. She received benefits (wachtgeld) from her former job as MP, although she was not entitled to do so since she had a substantial income from her work as a member of States-Provincial and tax inspector. She failed to inform the UWV (government body who is responsible for benefits) about her income, as is required by law. Some days before this conviction became public, she resigned as member of States-Provincial. Remak was first convicted to 1 year imprisonment (3 months on probation). [cite news |url=http://www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article597865.ece/Celstraf_voor_oud-Kamerlid_VVD |title=Celstraf voor oud-Kamerlid VVD |work=NRC Handelsblad |date=2007-01-17 |accessdate=2008-06-20 |language= Dutch |language=Dutch] She appealed the ruling. One year later, the Amsterdam court convicted Remak to 6 months imprisonment (3 months on probation) and 240 hours of community service in January 2008. [cite news |authorlink= |author=Kamilla Leupen |coauthors= |title= Remak kan het uitleggen|url=http://archief.parool.nl/artikel?text=remak&SORT=date&ED=ola&PRD=1y&SEC=%2A&FDOC=0 |format= |work=Het Parool |date=2008-01-17 |accessdate=2008-06-20 |language=Dutch] [cite news |author=T. Wolters |title=Ex-Kamerlid cel in |url=http://www.spitsnieuws.nl/archives/binnenland/2008/01/exkamerlid_cel_in.html |work=Sp!tsnieuws |publisher=Telegraaf Media Group |date=2008-01-31 |language=Dutch|accessdate=2008-06-26 ] [cite news |title=Oud-Kamerlid Remak moet ook van hof de cel in |url=http://archief.trouw.nl/artikel?text=Oud-Kamerlid%20Remak%20moet%20ook%20van%20hof%20de%20cel%20in&SORT=date&ED=ola&SEC=%2A&SO=%2A&PRD=20y&fdoc=0 |work=Trouw |publisher=PCM |language=Dutch|date=2008-02-01 |accessdate=2008-06-26 ] [cite news|title=Oud-Kamerlid Remak moet de cel in |url=http://www.haarlemsdagblad.nl/nieuws/binnenland/article3064338.ece |work=Haarlems Dagblad |publisher=HDC Media |date=2008-01-31 |accessdate=2008-06-26 |language=Dutch] [cite news |title= Celstraf voor oud-Kamerlid Remak|url=http://www.rtvnh.nl/nieuws/index.asp?newsid=82890 |work=RTV Noord-Holland |date=2008-01-31 |accessdate=2008-06-26 |language=Dutch] [cite news |language=Dutch |title=Oud-Kamerlid Remak krijgt celstraf |url=http://www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article916293.ece/ |work=NRC Handelsblad |publisher=PCM |date=2008-01-31 |accessdate=2008-06-26 ]

The province of Noord-Holland started an investigation about her period as member of States-Provincial and filed a complaint for fraud and forgery. These allegations were connected to payments of almost 28.000 euro to a assistant of the fraction who also worked at the company of Remak's husband. [cite news |title=Oud-Statenlid kan gedeclareerde kosten niet verantwoorden|url=http://archief.parool.nl/artikel?text=Provincie%20%2028.000%20%20euro%20%20Remak&SORT=presence&ED=ola&PRD=2y&SEC=*&FDOC=0 |work=Het Parool |publisher= |date=2007-01-29 |language=Dutch |accessdate=2008-06-20 ]

Wikipedia

In june 2008 Remak demanded the Dutch language version of Wikipedia to remove the information on her conviction for fraud. She based her demand on Dutch privacy law. [cite news|title=Patricia Remak en de waarheid vanWikipedia|url=http://www.denieuwereporter.nl/?p=1727|work=De nieuwe reporter|date=2008-06-26|language=Dutch|accessdate=2008-06-26] Wikipedia initially complied with her wishes; the information was restored after requesting legal advice. During this time, the original version of the article could be read at GeenStijl.nl, a Dutch blog.

References

* [http://www.parlement.com/9291000/biof/02236 Biografie Patricia Remak] , Website Parlement en Politiek.
* [http://www.noord-holland.nl/thema/nieuws/archief/persberichten/2003/nieuwsberichten_4_2003/remak_uit_vvd.asp?thema=home&ComponentID=74082&SourcePageID=75775 Remak stapt uit VVD-fractie] , Provincie Noord-Holland, June 10, 2005.
* [http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article387032.ece/Voormalig_VVD-Kamerlid_de_cel_in_voor_fraude Voormalig VVD-Kamerlid de cel in voor fraude] , de Volkskrant, January 12, 2007.
* [http://www.rtvnh.nl/nieuws/index.asp?newsid=66080 Remak stapt op als statenlid] , RTV Noord-Holland, January 9, 2007.