People with influential political positions are involved in suspicious cash transactions worth 14 billion euros to and from the Netherlands. It concerns criminal funds resulting from, among other things, bribery, extortion and embezzlement of funds from the treasury.
This is evidenced by research conducted by the Anti-Money Laundering Center (AMLC), which cooperates with the police and the Public Prosecution Office (OM), among others. The investigation focuses on cash transactions carried out by exposed political persons, such as heads of state, politicians, ambassadors and members of the Supreme Court.
They are more vulnerable to corruption because they can abuse their power in exchange for money. That is why there is additional supervision over the transactions of these people and their loved ones.
A total of 1,000 suspicious transactions were found between 2011 and 2023, worth 14 billion euros. Transactions can be traced back to over a hundred potential political figures. There are a number of Dutch people among them, but most of them come from abroad.
The names of prominent political figures were not mentioned
Almost half of the 14 billion comes from abroad and goes to the Netherlands. Cyprus is at the top of the list of countries where most suspicious transactions come from. A smaller portion of the amount crosses the border from the Netherlands, with Latvia being the most popular destination.
It is usually the banks that report suspicious financial flows. The most common forms of criminal proceeds are, in order: bribes and kickbacks, extortion, proceeds of conflicts of interest, and funds embezzled from the treasury.
AMCL does not wish to share names of PEPs. In 2020, Isabel dos Santos, “Africa’s richest woman,” was accused of money laundering, embezzlement and defrauding public funds. She is said to have embezzled hundreds of millions of euros from Angola through Dutch post box companies.
Top 5 landen waar het meeste geld vandaan komt
- Cyprus
- Zwitserland
- Letland
- Ghana
- Kazachstan
Top 5 landen waar het meeste geld naartoe gaat
- Letland
- Portugal
- Maagdeneilanden
- Rusland
- Zwitserland
