Former opinion maker Sywert van Lienden, along with partners Bernd Damme and Camiel van Gestel, appear in court today in Rotterdam for a criminal case concerning their controversial mask deal during the coronavirus crisis. They face charges including fraud, embezzlement, forgery, and money laundering, with potential penalties ranging from fines to prison sentences of two to six years.
The case, dubbed “Full Sutton” by the Public Prosecution Service, involves a dossier reportedly containing 17,000 pages. Allegations suggest the trio knowingly engaged in fraudulent activities, while other evidence implies bureaucrats were aware the masks were purchased through their commercial entity rather than a nonprofit.
The entrepreneurs maintain they only aimed to assist in bringing medical supplies to the Netherlands. The criminal proceedings were initiated after complaints from Randstad and Coolblue.
Concurrently, a civil case is ongoing in Amsterdam regarding this matter.
Source: NOS