http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1239713,00.htmlDutch break promise -ask MSF(Médecins sans Frontières) to reimburse ransom
Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow
Wednesday June 16, 2004
The Guardian
The Dutch government has asked Médecins sans Frontières to reimburse money it paid to ransom the aid agency's head of mission in Dagestan, who was seized from his car in the Russian republic, which borders Chechnya, and held hostage for 20 months. <snip>
MSF said it was unaware that a ransom had been paid.
<snip>Later it emerged that the Kremlin had telephoned the Dutch government and told it to give €1m to VFI, who would negotiate with the kidnappers. A quarter of the money belonged to MSF and the Dutch government provided the rest.
<snip>It said the Dutch government had threatened to cut off funding and pressure other governments to do the same if the money was not repaid.