Van Linden and his associates are also suspected of money laundering

The founders of the Auxiliary Forces Alliance Foundation – Sewert van Linden, Bernd Dam and Camille van Gestel – are now suspected of money laundering by the Public Prosecution Service (OM). It was previously known that the judiciary suspected the trio of fraud and embezzlement. On May 24, the Public Prosecution decided to expand the scope of the suspicion, according to sources familiar with the criminal file report Norwegian Refugee Council† A spokesperson for the Office of the Prosecutor confirms the expansion.

Famous opinion maker Van Lienden and his business partners imported a large amount of mouth masks from China to the Netherlands as of March 2020. They claimed that they work with their enterprise “without money”, that is, not for profit. In fact, they transferred payments from a large number of clients to a commercial company, Relief Goods Alliance, which was separate from the organization. They were shareholders in that company.

They also fulfilled their largest order, 40 million Department of Health face masks, through this trading company, and the trio stuck to the deal. More than 20 million euros left†

criminal investigation

At the end of February, the Public Prosecution Office announced a To start a criminal investigation For status in the Auxiliary Forces Alliance Foundation. The immediate reason for this was the announcement of the temporary working group Randstad. In the spring of 2020, give this to the foundation free employees, assuming it was a nonprofit initiative. According to Randstad, the employees were unaware that they were also involved in the activities of a trading company.

On April 29, the judiciary decided to expand the scope of the suspicion of embezzlement. Since millions of euros earmarked for the foundation ended up with the trading company, the foundation was deprived, according to the Public Prosecution Service. In the run-up to a prospective criminal case, the judiciary 11.5 million euros attachments In the Dutch bank accounts of Van Lienden, Damme and Van Gestel.

The fact that the judiciary heightened suspicions last month with suspicion of money laundering, according to the criminal file, because the three businessmen paid themselves profits in millions of euros from Relief Goods Alliance. Sources familiar with the file confirmed that this step, in which they obtained funds that may be the result of a crime, amounts to money laundering according to the justice system.

Notable detail: The Public Prosecution’s investigation bears the name Kamel SuttonSuch as From the highest guarded prisons in the UK.

This Tuesday, Van Linden and his business partner Bernd Dam will have the opportunity to defend themselves in another case. A court in Amsterdam is considering whether the duo should be fired from their position as director of the Auxiliary Forces Foundation.

At the request of the Public Prosecution Office and a group of seven former employees, the judge decided to temporarily suspend Van Lienden en Damme at the end of April. Comment as manager† Attorney Water Jongbeer has been provisionally appointed as administrator by the court, with the promise that the judge will “at a later stage” issue a ruling on a possible dismissal. For this reason, all parties involved will be heard on Tuesday.

In his response, Van Linden denies that the justice system expanded the scope of suspicion on 24 May. Dam and van Gestel did not comment.