Money laundering offences land Dutch man, his Thai wife in jail for a long time

[Solinvictus]

1 hour ago, worgeordie said:

So charged with money laundering,but not  with exporting  marijuana,?

seems strange,i am sure his assets will find a good home.

Also no bail for him,but murderers..yes.

regards worgeordie

Yeah, here is just 'twisted' as I like to say.

 

Often, we experience different rules or regulations at different times. They are like that for a reason. Not to mention unknown influences or corruption. But hey, stay low. I'd never have the eggs to do such things as this guy.

[LaoPo]

27 minutes ago, dimitriv said:

 

The real story is different. He owned several coffeeshops in The Netherlands where they sold not only coffee but also marijuana. I have been to one of them ????  This is completely legal in my country.  

He made a lot of money, but didn't pay tax on all of that. And that is where the problem started.  In The Netherlands it is ok to sell drugs, but you will get problems when you do not pay tax. He stopped his business and moved to Thailand with his money.

 

It is strange that you can get convicted in Thailand for something you did in The Netherlands and also was allowed to do that in that country.

 

The money-laundering part is of course a joke. A lot of people have money they didn't pay tax on. And a lot of people use that money to buy things. I once read somewhere that only 7% of Thai people pay income tax ?

 

In The Netherlands this is now a bit of a scandal. Police wanted to catch him, but he was gone to Thailand. They informed the Thai police that a marijuana dealer moved to Thailand with a lot of money. 

 

For the Thai police this was low hanging fruit. And it confirms once again that foreigners are dangerous and that they really do their job very well <sarcasm>.

 

You're partly correct and partly incorrect.

 

It was not the DUTCH police who were after him. It were the DUTCH tax authorities who sent the Dutch Justice Department on Van Laarhoven's tail and it was there that the Dutch Prosecutor went totally wrong by informing the Thai authorities that he was a drugs dealer...he was not, according to Dutch laws.

 

Besides, Van Laarhoven lived in Thailand already since 2008 and the Prosecutor was after him in 2014 when he sent all the fraudulent info to Thailand upon which info Van Laarhoven and wife were arrested.

 

There are 2 major things we have to put apart:

Van Laarhoven was in a LEGALLY accepted business, selling marihuana and hash to private clients in OFFICIAL shops. As you know the Dutch laws are bizarre en twisted about soft drugs since it is NOT legal to BUY or OWN a larger quantity than 500grams (for selling in shops) but it is allowed ONCE they're inside the shops but not more than 500grams. Per client they're allowed to sell 5grams/per person/per day. See link in Dutch*

The profits for the coffeeshop-owner are legal although it's very difficult for a shopowner to open a bankaccount with major banks; They simply refuse him to own/open a bankaccount.

Of course he has to declare his sales and profits and has to pay his taxes, where it DID go wrong for and with him!

 

He took the money he made with him to Thailand but "forgot" to pay all of his taxes in Holland. That's a case between the DUTCH Tax authorities and Van Laarhoven, not the police. 

He should have been a good boy and pay all of his taxes which he did NOT.

 

That's where the problem for Van Laarhoven started and he paid a major prize since the Thai tax guys prosecuted him for tax evasion and laundering of drugs money brought into Thailand, made abroad, and selling drugs OUTSIDE Holland...who knows where to?

 

It's better to leave your country with all taxes and other debts paid, or face eventual very serious consequences. Many criminals and tax evaders "think" they can get away with (legal or not) crimes, once they settle in Thailand, but they would be much better off in their own country...

 

* https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/drugs/gedoogbeleid-softdrugs-en-coffeeshops

 

[worgeordie]

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

Where is the money and who now owns all his property including the cars?

If he has any expensive watches,i think i know where they will end up.

regards worgeordie

[RichardColeman]

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The final sentence, however, was set at 20 years in jail due to legalities. 

Or some Thai mathematic genius realising that 103 years in prison would not be served due to life expectancy !

[happy chappie]

3 hours ago, worgeordie said:

So charged with money laundering,but not  with exporting  marijuana,?

seems strange,i am sure his assets will find a good home.

Also no bail for him,but murderers..yes.

regards worgeordie

 

 

3 hours ago, jvs said:

No he was sentenced for money laundering,they send a whole lot more money to Thailand than was in the books.His business may have been legal but afaik he cheated the taxman and they dont like that.Again i say he should have been picked up here ans send straight to the netherlands but things went wrong.The Dutch government is admitting that and that is why he will be send over there soon.

The charges are trumped up to get their hands on the assets.he originally had a good few coffee shops in Amsterdam and sold up and moved to Thailand.the Dutch government informed Thai officials that he's had been laundering money that he hadn't paid tax on but then later backed down but it left this poor fella deep in the brown stuff as the bastards here nicked him and grabbed all of his property and shoved a massive sentence up his back side.if he had swindled the Dutch taxman then the property and money should be returned to the Dutch taxman but that'll be split up and long gone and the only thing they can do is shut him n her up behind bars.i know Amsterdam very well and I know Thai weed very well and in this day and age their weed is probably the lowest grade known to mankind and unsellable.why would someone smuggle something that you couldn't sell or at best get your money back.its the same as saying he smuggled low quality cocaine to Columbia <deleted>.i blame the Dutch government who have left this poor soul to rot when it was their cock up.as for the greedy dogs on the Thai side I hope they slowly receive their karma in the form of a good dose of cancer that lasts as long as this fella and his wife are in jail.

[Jack Mountain]

He 'earned' his money and paid taxes over it, by activities which are forbidden in Thailand (Soft drugs trade, allowed in Holland, not by law but by appointment).

Then he went to Thailand spending that money and more then that he had told the tax boys in Holland. Thailand gets to know that by stupidity of Dutch prosecutors and arrest him for money laundering.

 

Now I am wondering, if I win a lot of money in a Dutch Casino (legal in Holland but illegal in Thailand) and bring that money to here, could I expect the same treatment then?

[smedly]

There is no Thai jail big enough 

[smedly]

7 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

The whole case has been a farce.

The Dutch government should hang their heads in shame.

Hopefully some powerful people and the media in the Netherlands pick up on this story and create a storm so that both these people are released asap.

Absolutely outrageous story.

The only winners here are the corrupt officials who will have a nice earner on the assets/proceeds.

Disgusting.

so there was nothing wrong then ?

 

everything was legal and above board

 

I cast no judgment but you seem to know 

[smedly]

6 hours ago, dimitriv said:

It is strange that you can get convicted in Thailand for something you did in The Netherlands and also was allowed to do that in that country.

well you can't 

 

and although a few people on here think they know what went on - does anyone really know

[smedly]

6 hours ago, LaoPo said:

It's better to leave your country with all taxes and other debts paid, or face eventual very serious consequences. Many criminals and tax evaders "think" they can get away with (legal or not) crimes, once they settle in Thailand, but they would be much better off in their own country...

nailed it

[smedly]

34 minutes ago, smedly said:

There is no Thai jail big enough 

I was referring to money laundering - where could they put them all and who would put them there ?

 

On the current topic - the question is - did anyone break any laws in Thailand, forget about the business in the Netherlands which sort of confuses the issue - he brought a pile of money into Thailand

 

The Assets - where do they end up ?...……………. we all have our thoughts on that one

[Crusader]

Good news...let's hope that more of the dirty deed doers, who give us all a bad name, are rounded up soon and given similar deals.

[LomSak27]

10 hours ago, Ron jeremy said:

Why would he export ahitty Asian weed when it's legal where he comes from? 

Because he never did. 

 

 

[zyphodb]

10 hours ago, ukrules said:

Where is the money and who now owns all his property including the cars?

Guess....

[BobBKK]

"due to legalities" how surprising in a Court

 

personally who cares about weed? legalise and as for his sentence?   kill a cop and get...?  hope he gets a pardon and is out soon

 

 

[domdom]

Hello

 

Some posters here give the right info..

Big business of high level coffee shops in NL (legal business).. Sold his company and came to live here..

NL claimed there was tax issues.. His lawyers in NL were in contact with NL authorities and courts and he was supposed to go to NL to answer all questions beginning of August but was suddenly arrested end of july after a letter from the NL prosecutor was sent by somebody of the NL embassy to thai authorities.. speaking about drug.

All their properties have been seized immediately and apparently everything is already sold..

Recently the ombudsman in NL said the acting of NL government was totally wrong and things seem to be moving..

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2019/08/25/dutch-justice-minister-ferd-grapperhaus-thailand-johan-van-laarhoven-thai-prison-legal-case/

 

After they had no news from the NL embassy for years, they begin now to visit and follow the case..

His hope is to be sent back to NL ASAP.. but everything was blocked till after supreme court decision, so things may begin to move now

 

Nobody will give them back the years spent in jail, neither will the kids get back the years spent without the parents..

 

Have a nice day

 

[bristolgeoff]

They will lose the lot and some up high tea money people will be very well off now.but we all know it all goes to the state don,t we

[Netease]

Whats going to happen when the Thai Government starts asking Retirees to prove where they got the Bht 800,000 needed in a Thai bank or for that matter where any of us got our money from to purchase properties in Thailand.

Will we need to show our tax records from our home country going back many years.

Don't laugh, it could happen

[remorhaz]

So he was using the internet to sell weed from Holland to willing buyers and it is legal over there to do so.  None of this weed ever was shipped to Thailand nor did it ever touch Thailand soil.  But he made lots of money doing this and obviously wasn't sharing his good fortune adequately with the surfeit of local officials that felt entitled to a share.  Guilty as charged - case closed.

[lesmac]

11 hours ago, tgw said:

 

the whole case doesn't seem to make sense.

From what I read before about the case, apparently, he was sentenced in Thailand for business that entirely took place within the Netherlands, where - AFAIK - his activities were legal.

yes i agree

 

[Krabi King]

Now that the final conviction has been passed, the extradition agreement between Thailand and The Netherlands will come into effect. He meets all legal conditions after the conviction... Just a matter of time now...

[Dukeleto]

A money grab pure and simple.

[Drax]

So to make it simple, just keep most of your assets outside Thailand. Keep life simple here and invest in safer country markets. 

[spidermike007]

12 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I've never quite understood the seemingly pointless Thai legal process of courts sentencing people to ridiculously long prison terms for what they've been accused of, and then saying, oh by the way, the pertinent law limits the prison time to 1/10th or whatever of the sentenced time, so we're going to give him the 1/10th....

 

Why not just follow the law from the get-go, and if the maximum sentence allowed under the law is 20 years, then sentence the poor soul to 20 years and be done with it.... 

 

The wife, meanwhile, after 5 years credit for time already served, should be out of the streets again and a free lady within a year or two. And probably ending up being divorced and free to marry again, since hubby seemingly is going to be put away, or perhaps deported abroad at some point, for a long time.

 

It is a sign of massive weakness on the part of the judiciary. 

[ttrd]

12 hours ago, worgeordie said:

So charged with money laundering,but not  with exporting  marijuana,?

seems strange,i am sure his assets will find a good home.

Also no bail for him,but murderers..yes.

regards worgeordie

Unfortunately bail's seems to be given only in cases where the vultures do not have free access to the assets ….

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Why not just follow the law from the get-go,

Which is exactly what the courts do...

he committed 15 separate offences to which each one is awarded a sentence in terms of years,

these are obviously totaled together & then the court decides on the severity of the overall offence as to what jail term should be awarded...

 

[Srikcir]

13 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

if the maximum sentence allowed under the law is 20 years, then sentence the poor soul to 20 years and be done with it

The maximum allowable by law is 50 years, even for lese majestic violations.

But it seems the Thai courts want to present themselves as humanitarian/caring by sentencing upwards to over 100 years for some convictions, then roll it back to the maximum citing some human cause such as "gave evidence important to the case" (my translation is "confession"). In other words the Thai courts operate not only by the laws but by personal attributes. It's more of the "good person" philosophy typically projected by authoritarian influences that promotes decisions according to personal opinion over law by "good people."

[essox essox]

13 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

He should have got his clogs on and legged it now its a cash bonanza for the police and dark days in paradise for him ????

send him some tulips from amsterdam??!!!!

[robblok]

12 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

The whole case has been a farce.

The Dutch government should hang their heads in shame.

Hopefully some powerful people and the media in the Netherlands pick up on this story and create a storm so that both these people are released asap.

Absolutely outrageous story.

The only winners here are the corrupt officials who will have a nice earner on the assets/proceeds.

Disgusting.

The Dutch goverment should indeed hang their heads in shame and they send a minister over but it did not help. Now the only thing is that he can be transferred to the Netherlands as his sentence is final. This has been news in the Netherlands for quite some time and the government acknowledges its mistakes.

[Sir Swagman]

This story seems to have changed from the initial one of doing him over for selling  weed in the Netherlands and committing other ‘crimes’ (as deemed by Thailand) yet not on thai soil, to now ‘exporting’? If you can be charged for offences not committed in a country I would suggest every Thai tourist be jailed on entry to any country for traffic offences - at the very least!