Just when it seemed the image of bankers couldn’t get any more battered or bizarre, the Dutch central bank has fired a 46-year-old female employee claimed to have been working after hours as a highly paid prostitute – specialising in sadomasochism.
The woman, who had been with the central bank for eight years and had allegedly worked previously with both ABN-AMRO and ING Bank, had allegedly been offering her services under the name “Conchita van der Waal”, advertising under the motto: “the kinkier the better”.
Ms van der Waal also offered to engage in sexual role play, according to the Dutch-language business magazine, Quote, which said one of the roles in which she was photographed online was that of an SS commandant.
Although her real name and the exact nature of her former job remain unclear, it’s understood she had a “supervisory” role at the bank.
In response to the magazine’s revelations, the central bank confirmed it had received a tip-off about the employee’s double life, had investigated the circumstances, and that she had been fired at the end of last year because of “integrity issues”.
The bank said all candidates had to undergo strict screening when they applied for jobs. Of 5,469 prospective employees who had been screened since 2011, 614 had been rejected. The bank said those screening procedures were now being reviewed.
From a work point of view, there seems little doubt that Ms van der Waal contravened the central bank’s code of conduct, which forbids “indecent behaviour” – and stipulates that no employee should act in a way which could harm the reputation of the bank or lead to negative publicity.
More broadly, prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, so she is in the clear from that point of view. However, sex workers are expected to register with their local chamber of commerce, have a VAT number, and pay income tax, none of which Ms van der Waal appears to have done – leaving herself open to possible legal action for back taxes.
Unfortunately for Ms van der Waal, she appears to have set out her charges, starting at €450 an hour and including her rate for a “wonderful weekend”, on her personal website – though the site appeared to be experiencing some difficulties last night.
She may also face difficulties because her “S&M studio” on the outskirts of Amsterdam appears to be in a building in which “immoral” behaviour is specifically outlawed under the terms of the contract under which it was bought in 2012 – allegedly by Ms van der Waal’s husband.
