A Flemish entrepreneur (61), his wife and their two daughters have been charged with a large-scale money laundering scheme, where they embezzled up to €5 million through false invoices, the Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Wednesday.
The police raided the villa of a businessman in the municipality of Denderleeuw (province of East Flanders) and arrested not only the man himself but also his wife and two adult daughters. Four searches in the man's firms also led them to seize jewellery and expensive watches, freeze bank accounts and seize two luxury cars, VRT reports.
The investigating judge decided that the family of four could go back home, but must adhere to strict conditions. They remain under suspicion and the investigation continues, the Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed.
The suspect is the former manager of the sportswear brand Jartazi, which made football jerseys for clubs such as AA Gent, Sporting Lokeren and KV Mechelen. In 2018, Jartazi was taken over by foreign investors, but the daily operations of the company remained in Belgian hands.
€72,550 in cash
Since then, the man has been busy with other projects, such as producing jeans for department stores and running his own real estate office.
The man came on the authorities' radar when he was discovered with €72,550 in cash during a security check at Brussels Airport. The money was seized because there were indications of money laundering, said the Halle-Vilvoorde Public Prosecutor's Office. A large-scale investigation was launched, De Standaard reports.
AA Gent's manager at the time Hein Vanhaezebrouck poses for the photographer with the new shirts made by the new clothing sponsor Jartazi, Monday 02 February 2015 in Gent. Credit: Belga
He withdrew money from the Belgian companies of his various firms by issuing false invoices to his own companies. "The money was then transferred to foreign companies, from where the money ultimately ended up in the suspect's personal accounts," the Public Prosecutor's Office said.
Related News
- Belgian fraudster receives three years' imprisonment and €312,000 fine
- Police seize €740,000 worth of gold bullion in tax fraud case
The money was then used "to purchase jewellery, vehicles, real estate, plane trips and other luxury goods." According to the Public Prosecutor, a total of at least €5.2 million was withdrawn from his Belgian companies in this way – the man had already started operating this way in January 2014.
Should the case be brought to court, the family members theoretically risk up to five years in prison and a fine of hundreds of thousands of euros.
