After the 2023 Dutch general election he was named formation scout on a proposal of election winner Geert Wilders on 24 November 2023. Wilders called him someone "with not too great a political profile". [4] Shortly after being named he stated he did not remember his 2015 remark of the Senate as a fake parliament. [4] In the weekend following his nomination Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad published an article implicating van Strien in a fraud case brought forth by his former employer,Utrecht Holdings. Van Strien denied the allegations. [10] On the morning of 27 November 2023,the day of his intended start as formation scout,he stated that he would lay down his tasks as formation scout. [11] Van Strien later stated that it was a mistake that he did not inform Wilders of the allegations when he was considered for formation scout. He had discussed the matter with Party for Freedom Senate leader Marjolein Faber and both decided it was best not to bother Wilders with the matter. [12]
His home in Arcen was raided by the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) in May 2024 as part of an investigation into the criminal complaint by Utrecht Holdings. [13] In a civil case against Van Strien's successor as managing director of Utrecht Holdings,a court of appeals concluded in November 2024 that Van Strien and his successor had obtained a stake in a spin-off company of the university,which held shares of two biomedical companies,by hiding their involvement in a separate entity called Hereswint. This entity,jointly owned by Van Strien's wife,his neighbor,a friend,and the wife of his successor,received €2 million in dividends between 2006 and 2018 due to its stake in the spin-off company. Hereswint was established by his neighbor at Van Strien's direction. In reply to the ruling,Van Strien called it disgraceful that his conduct was judged without him being heard. [14]
