Prosecutors are not happy about the sudden return of Gerard Sanderink as CEO of his IT company Centric. The public prosecutor wants Centric to revoke the reappointment by Monday at the latest, otherwise the judiciary will go to the Chamber of Entrepreneurs, the judge in matters of mismanagement in the economy.

On Wednesday, Centric surprised friend and foe alike by announcing that the controversial entrepreneur and owner of the IT company “will take up his position as non-executive director and chairman of the board with immediate effect”. At the same time, two other Centric directors resigned, including the current CEO.

Sanderink had resigned in February 2021, withdrawing from his administrative duties because of all the excitement surrounding him. Sanderink has been in a legal battle with his ex-partner for a number of years, complete with hate campaigns and all sorts of lawsuits. Centric was at risk of being caught up in this and experienced many management changes and unrest. Large customers also began to worry whether Centric could continue to provide its IT services.

Bribing a Saudi prince

As Centric is a large and important IT company that also works for various public institutions and the government such as De Nederlandsche Bank and BNG Bank, the prosecutor says the administrative problems have social implications. For this reason, a preliminary investigation into the administrative crisis and possible mismanagement was launched this summer. Together with the board of directors, works council and owner Sanderink, an attempt was made to restore the disrupted conditions in the company.

According to the public prosecutor, Sanderink’s unexpected return to the top of the company has ruined all the efforts of the past few months. “The public prosecutor’s office therefore concludes that it is appropriate to ask the Chamber of Entrepreneurs to decide whether and, if so, what measures are necessary to ensure the stability and continuity of Centric,” reads a statement.

In addition to Centric, Sanderink also owns the construction company Strukton, and things are happening there too. Prosecutors personally suspect Sanderink of bribing a Saudi prince in a subway project in Riyadh and falsifying an export insurance policy.