History repeats itself in building Limburg. Just like nineteen years ago, it turns out to be a Baars whose revelations helped lead to a major corruption investigation.Several times in 2006 Henk Baars made his way to the town hall in Voerendaal. In two detailed conversations with the entire college, the road builder spewed his long bile about Janssen de Jong's methods. It struck Baars that his major competitor succeeded time and again in stealing contracts right in front of him. As a 'whistleblower', Baars expressed his suspicions in Voerendaal that things were happening that could not bear the light of day. Incidentally, Baars not only vented his heart in Voerendaal, but also in the Heerlen town hall and to the police. With the latter on the condition that no one would ever find out. It is therefore remarkable that the justice department now states in its criminal case file that Baars revealed to the investigators and directors with whom he spoke confidentially that regional director Ron A. of Janssen de Jong Infra B.V. "put pressure on his own employees and officials to obtain and execute contracts. The file also revealed the way in which A., who had been in custody since January 27, usually did this: officials were feted with visits to the World Cup, the Monaco Grand Prix or helped with the renovation of their homes. For the newspaper, Henk Baarsin recent weeks was unreachable. He is the son of "old Sjaak," founder of the eponymous construction company that figured prominently in the previous major investigation into bribery in the Limburg construction industry in the early 1990s. That Sjaak, in turn, stood at the cradle of what resulted in the birth of 'the Friends Republic': a picture chronicled by this newspaper in hundreds of articles that dozens of provincial road builders, property developers, architects and installers paid millions of guilders in 'bribes' to mayors, aldermen and officials. For those who refused to do business in the 'bribe way' knew they would be expelled from the 'Republic of Friends'. And would become brodless. Old Sjaak Baars made no secret whatsoever of his bribery practices in a conversation with two employees of the Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service in July 1990. "We do buy work sometimes. I will never spend money without an agreement in return. Whoever receives the money will also have to think about my business." Incidentally, Baarssenior declined to name names.

The privacy of his "friends" was sacred to him. Without beating about the bush, the Klimmen road builder explained that he had opened a special account for his bribes to be paid at the then Nederlandse Middenstands Bank. Dozens of times a year he collected cash amounts ranging from 2,500 to 30,000 guilders at the branches of the NMB in Valkenburg, Haelen, Heerlen and Maastricht. The kickbacks, averaging over three tons annually, simply appeared on his tax return. Under the item "representation, goodwill and gifts.

This time, the State Investigation Department will not have had it that easy in its evidence against Janssen de Jong. In recent weeks, 11 employees of the company were arrested on suspicion of bribing seven corrupt officials. The wife of one of the officials is also in custody. Baars Aannemings- en Wegenbouwmaatschappij BV survived the Vriendenrepubliek affair, which was started in part by father Sjaak, as well as the parliamentary inquiry into the construction industry that followed. Like many other road construction companies, the company had a hard time dealing with the new mores of municipalities, which put works out to public tender more often than before. Time after time, Baars lost the battle. On September 23, 2008, bankruptcy was declared. Sjaak Baars, who had never been convicted of paying bribes, did not live to see it. He died on March 3 last year.