Dutch open sexual misconduct probe at ‘The Voice of Holland’

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch public prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct at “The Voice of Holland” talent show, authorities said Monday.

The prosecutor’s office said it was acting on five complaints against four people at the television show, and now officially considered them suspects after the first allegations were aired in January.

The show was taken off the air when it became one of the most serious #MeToo reckonings yet to hit the Dutch entertainment world. It focuses on a show created in the Netherlands but broadcast in local versions around the globe.

The scandal erupted after a local broadcaster’s YouTube show called “BOOS” — the Dutch word for angry — contacted “The Voice of Holland” to say it had spoken to victims of “sexually transgressive behavior.” It aired a broadcast about their allegations soon after.

Dutch broadcaster RTL, which airs “The Voice of Holland,” reacted swiftly to the reports and suspended the show.

The prosecutor’s office said it expected the investigation to take quite a while and will only decide then whether to prosecute the suspects.