The Public Prosecution Service (OM) wants a suspect to be sentenced to seven years in prison for laundering nearly eight million euros. The Dutchman born in Suriname has no plausible explanation for the origin of millions in gold bars found in his home. Because he provided forged documents, he is also accused of forgery. In the Rotterdam court, it became clear on Tuesday that the Vice President of Suriname plays a remarkable role in the case.
The purchase of a Rolls-Royce Cullinan worth half a million euros, dinners in luxury restaurants, and expensive hotel stays. In an ongoing drug investigation, these expenditures of the suspect attract the attention of the police and OM. The 56-year-old suspect has previously been sentenced to a significant prison term for drug trafficking. He has no legal source of income in the Netherlands but engages in veiled conversations about financial matters with a co-defendant. This is the starting point of the laundering investigation Shoreham, which will lead to twenty mutual legal assistance requests to Suriname. Dozens of witnesses are being heard in the Netherlands and Suriname.
Gold bars worth 6.5 million
The investigation initially focused on the importation of cocaine and the suspects involvement in two liquidations. The suspect was released by the court in this case in 2023. That investigation is not yet complete. It is the laundering investigation that is now leading to the prosecution of the suspect. In addition to laundering a messy million euros worth of luxury vehicles, he is accused of laundering 163 gold bars. At that time, they were worth approximately 6.5 million euros – and now over 14 million euros. According to the suspect, the gold bars belong to the Vice President of Suriname, as he later tells in the investigation. He also presents a notarized statement that would prove this.
Suspects statement
In a money laundering suspicion without a predicate offense, a suspect must prove that he earned his money legally. The suspect claims that he deals in real estate and gold in Suriname and that he has an significant amount inherited. The investigation shows that it is unlikely he received a substantial inheritance. Official documents or substantiation are also lacking. Although the suspect claims to have been a serious entrepreneur in various sectors for 30 years, there is also no administration for this. There are also indications of a tangle of loans with individuals and companies, but contracts or evidence of repayments are missing.
Those bars are waiting for you
On one of the suspects phones, there are various photos of gold bars. It concerns eight batches of gold and a total of 163 gold bars. The photos were mostly taken in the suspects home between 2018 and 2020. The gold bars have a weight, a purity indication, and a letter code. The police also find a conversation between the suspect and a certain Frank, a gold trader, who has bars for him and wants to bring them:
“Welcome back. Morning big brother. Those bars are waiting for you. With the current price, you are certainly USD 100,000.00 richer.” And shortly after: “Good afternoon neighbor. What time can I bring those bars to you?”
Shortly after these messages, the photos of the gold bars are taken. Various invoices corresponding to the purchase of the gold bars are found in the suspects home.
Vice President of Suriname
After initially remaining silent about the gold bars, the suspect suddenly comes up with a statement in his fifth interrogation. He admits that the gold bars were in his house, but he says they did not belong to him. They belonged to the Vice President of Suriname, Ronnie Brunswijk, who personally came to deliver them to him. The suspect tried to sell them for him. This witness, who claims to be a friend of the suspect, confirms this but has no evidence. The prosecutors from the National Prosecutors Office point out that the witness is being instructed:
In fact, the defense writes to Brunswijk: “I kindly request you to inform me whether you can confirm that the statement of the client is correct that the gold bars in question did not belong to the client at the time, but to you, Ronnie Brunswijk, and that the gold bars eventually also returned to you, Ronnie Brunswijk.” It is requested to sign the letter and provide a text that is also dictated.
Criminal circuit
The OM assumes that the gold belonged to the suspect and that it was used by him as a means of payment or investment in the criminal circuit. Gold is easier to transport than cash and is a stable investment. But above all, the origin of gold is difficult to trace. An interesting product for criminals to launder money. In addition to the seven-year prison sentence, the prosecutors demand a forfeiture of the 163 gold bars. This also applies to several high-end vehicles, such as a Rolls Royce imported from Dubai with Mansory tuning and a Bentley Bentayga. The OM also announces a confiscation procedure. The prosecutors emphasize how important it is to tackle money laundering:
Money laundering, as we see in Shoreham, is inextricably linked to the international trade in and production of narcotics and, of course, with violence and dangers to public health.