(Bloomberg) -- Dutch Minister for Tax Affairs Folkert Idsinga stepped down after facing pressure from parliament to disclose his stock investments in companies.
Idsinga, a member of the center-right New Social Contract party, refused to make his financial investments worth €6 million ($6.5 million) public even after facing fierce criticism over a possible conflict of interest.
“The separation of my business interests from the national interest is openly questioned here,” Idsinga said in his resignation letter on Friday. “This affair directly affects the confidence that the parliament has in me as a minister.”
The resignation is a first for Prime Minister Dick Schoof’s government which took office in July, following parliamentary elections won by far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party.
“I neatly followed all the rules,” Idsinga said in a press conference, adding that he will soon disclose his financial interests.
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