FRAUD, LAUNDERING, SMUGGLING, AND INTERNATIONAL DRUG TRADE, OH MY!

MICHELLE SAYS SO:

Sure, this is in Bonaire, and not Aruba, but it is part of the Netherland Antilles, which most likely means that others in the area do or have done the same things.

Yes, we have corruption in our own country (as many people love to argue with me), but this isn't about the United States. It's about Aruba and The Netherland Antilles, and it just goes to show how shady and conspiratorial they are...all the while calling themselves the "best" in the Carribean. What a load of crock this is.

MAYBE these people's actions will set an example for other wrong-doers. But probably not...

KRALENDIJK — Former minister and deputy Burney El Hage (UPB) ìs a suspect in the investigation on fraud, laundering, gold smuggling, and international drug trade, according to the ‘order for house search’ of which the Amigoe came into possession.

Burney El Hage

In the ‘order for house search’ of the Court in First Instance, El Hage is mentioned as suspect just like Willem van Wijngaarden, and Albert de Groof who have both been apprehended; the latter has been transferred to Curaçao. Van Wijngaarden’s wife, Yvonne de Vries, is also mentioned as suspect in the order. El Hage and De Vries have not been apprehended.

Deza (Directorate Economical- and Labor-Affairs) are also mentioned in the aforementioned order as a location, which required searching. Various sources have confirmed the authenticity of the document.

The Public Prosecutor (OM) of the Netherlands Antilles is not revealing anything about the investigation (Surprise, surprise...). The order for house search does not state what these persons are being suspected of. However, there is a list summarizing the documents and administration, which were to be confiscated from a number of companies and real estate- and development projects.

The companies from which the administration should be confiscated according to the order are Questron, Independium Trust, Emphora Fisheries, Struijk Overzee, Kaya Grandi Corporate Service, Bonaire Precious Metal & Minerals, and Bonaire Precious Metals Refinery. Justice requested the Board of Governors to hand over the administration on the issuance of ground leases, as well as minutes of meetings, reports, and conversation notations as of January 2006.

In addition, all administration regarding the Blue Lagoon-project must be confiscated, according to the order, as well as data on a number of properties in Nikiboko and Sabadeco.

In the framework of the (international) investigation, eighteen house searches were carried out on Bonaire last week Tuesday and another four the day after. A house search was also carried out at the residence of UPB party-leader Ramonsito Booi, in addition to the house searches at the residences of El Hage and Van Wijngaarden. Booi’s name does appear on the order, but he is not considered a suspect. The 39-year old Anthony Marsera is the main suspect in the investigation and was apprehended on Bonaire last Tuesday.

http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_62446.php

UPDATE: JOE MAMMANA, A TRUE FRAUD BACK IN COURT--GETS 8 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON

Read my original commentary about Joe's failure
to keep promises and propensity to LIE:

HERE

Judge Calls Mammana's Actions "EGO DRIVEN"

PHILADELPHIA—A federal judge on Thursday ordered a felon-turned-philanthropist who had offered reward money in high-profile crimes back to prison on tax and weapons charges.


Joseph Mammana, 49, of Yardley also must pay the taxes due on $4.3 million in income he failed to report from 2000 to 2005 and a $50,000 fine.


"Greed and stupidity took control, and that's a real bad combination," Mammana told the judge.


U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond sentenced Mammana to eight years, after taking a year off the sentence because Mammana provided information that prompted a Philadelphia City Hall corruption probe.


The judge questioned Mammana's motive for offering the rewards, saying the pledges were "to some extent laudable" but partly "just ego-driven."


He called Mammana's prior record of steroid possession, aggravated assault, larceny and other crimes "horrendous."


Mammana's lawyer, Jeffrey Lindy, said those convictions are mostly from more than a decade ago, when his client was abusing steroids. Mammana, who has a criminal justice degree from Temple University, seemingly turned his life around after he was released from prison in the 1990s and emerged as a successful entrepreneur.


He owned a North Philadelphia egg-processing plant that employed 70 people, drove a $287,000 Lamborghini and was honored by city school officials for sponsoring a gun-buyback program. He also made headlines by posting rewards in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba and other cases.


But prosecutors say he was skimming money from the egg company and pocketing company checks written out to the Citizens Crime Commission of the Delaware Valley, the Sam Katz for Mayor campaign and other organizations. He netted more than $3.2 million from the various schemes, authorities said.


The egg company, Yardley Farms, is now closed, and its workers are among the victims in the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Bresnick said Thursday. Mammana, who has four young children, also must pay more than $400,000 in restitution after leaving prison.


Bresnick disclosed in court that Mammana suggested the FBI investigate the office of Philadelphia City Councilman Jack Kelly. Although his specific tip could not be corroborated, the FBI began a probe that resulted in last month's convictions of Kelly's chief of staff, a developer and the developer's lawyer, the prosecutor said.


Character witnesses for Mammana included Richard Petrone Sr., whose son, Richard Jr., disappeared along with friend Danielle Imbo after leaving a Philadelphia nightclub in February 2005. The case remains unsolved. Petrone said he met Mammana during a radio interview, and that Mammana offered the family support and advice. "He did a lot of good, but they made it out like he was the Boston Strangler," Petrone said after the hearing.


Mammana's sentence includes a concurrent 5-year term for possessing a weapon—a revolver he kept by his bed—despite his felon status.


http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_11843625

Previous story:

A seemingly wealthy felon-turned-philanthropist who pledged rewards in high-profile crimes is due back in court for sentencing Thursday in Philadelphia.

Joseph Mammana of Yardley is being sentenced for failing to report about $4 million in income from 2000 to 2005. He has previously agreed to pay at least $400,000 in back taxes.

The sentencing is also expected to cover a felon-in-possession gun charge. Mammana admits he kept a revolver by his bed.

Mammana has a criminal record for aggravated assault and drugs, but had appeared to be doing well running an egg-processing plant.

He lived lavishly, mixing with community leaders and pledging reward money in cases such as the 2005 disappearance in Aruba of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/ap?articleID=1765762

WHERE IS "GOOD OLD JOE"?

We all know that Mr. "I've reformed myself" Joe Mammana is sitting in prison right now. Violation of probation, money laundering, tax evasion, using his company to hide money and setting up "dummy vendors" to obtain cash illegally.

However, since his arrest it seems that NO ONE has heard about him. Where is he? What prison? If you remember, the head of the Columbus, Ohio Crime Stoppers was beaten by Joe's "cronies" because Joe wouldn't pay up after they found Julie Popovich's killer. I have contacted this man, but have not received any answers.

BACKGROUND ON HOW JOE SCREWED THE SYSTEM

If anyone has any insight or has knowledge, please let me know. There are many who are wondering where he is at, how long he is going to be sitting in prison and what his fate is.

Read here regarding my immense disappointment with Joe after he snowed me over with his sociopath ways of being "sincere" and reigning me in like a lame horse.

COMMENTARY: A TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT

ORIGINAL STORY:

PHILADELPHIA — Federal prosecutors contend a businessman known for pledging money to help track down criminals has pocketed $3.2 million of income over the past several years while not paying federal taxes since 2000.

Court papers allege Joe Mammana diverted millions from his Yardley egg farm into his personal checking account and four other business accounts to avoid income taxes.

Mammana has been "lining his pockets and accumulating luxury cars and a luxury house with the proceeds of his business, all while refusing to report this illicit income to the IRS," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in court papers Friday.

The court filing requested Mammana be kept in custody while awaiting trial on recent gun charges. U.S. Magistrate L. Felipe Restrepo granted the request, denying bail because he said Mammana was a flight risk.

Mammana was arrested on Thursday, the day after authorities found a loaded handgun in his home during a search for evidence of possible mail and wire fraud, according to an arrest warrant.

He has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions for aggravated assault, larceny and narcotics violations.

The felon-turned-philanthropist has offered reward money in numerous high-profile cases, including the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba last year and the death of Julie Popovich, whose skeletal remains were found Sept. 1 near an Ohio reservoir.

Mammana is embroiled in a lawsuit with an Ohio crime-stoppers group that alleged he reneged on the reward offered in the Popovich slaying. The head of the group, Kevin Miles, is also suing Mammana, saying someone with a baseball bat attacked him and told him to drop the lawsuit. Mammana said he had nothing to do with the attack.

Here is his FORMER website: "Mighty Joe's Justice".
How funny that it "morphed" into this.

OPEN LETTER TO BETH FROM CARLOS TROMP

I would personally like to thank Mr. Tromp for putting this video together. It is a MUST SEE. The "gist" of the video goes something like this:

"...Duped by the white collar criminals of the Dutch Kingdom in Aruba...and I want to apologize to you through this letter to you for the injustice for the Ministry of Justice of Aruba..."

He names names, compares government officials to Nazis through various photos and is fearless in speaking his mind. A MUST SEE!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDX0GSWDqwo

ARUBA INVESTMENTS AND "TAX HAVENS" TO BE SCRUTINIZED

Aruba - Tax Haven - Privacy,
Offshore Investments & Financial Services Of Aruba

Click for DETAILS

NEW DELHI: The government is planning to scrutinize investments flowing in from tax havens such as Andora, Aruba, Bahamas, Costa Rica and Dominica where investor details remain confidential due to banking policies.

According to sources in the department of industrial policy and promotion (Dipp), the government is concerned about Indian residents parking money in the island nations to route them back for investments. There are also mounting fears of money being used for terror funding and laundering activities.

Investments in the nations do not get reported as the island countries maintain banking secrecy and do not reveal the nature of investments.

Intelligence agencies have expressed fears that funds from such places were flowing into the stock market through participatory notes issued by foreign institutional investors.

“We need to crack down on such investments. Intelligence authorities and National Security Council (NSC) would assist in tracking such investments,” a government source said, adding that most such funds flow into the real estate sector.

According to estimates, funds from such nations flowing into the real estate sector totaled $150 million. Although the money through the route may be a paltry amount compared to $2-billion FDI in 2007-08, the government fears this is just the beginning of an impending influx.

The government’s move comes months after revelations by German government intelligence authority BND about ill-gotten wealth to tune of millions being parked in Liechtenstein, a tax haven near Germany. Countries like Canada, Italy, India and the US have expressed interest in accessing information on the funds parked in Liechtenstein.


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3208515.cms

BIG BAD VOODOO PIMP DADDIES

Now I can't ASSUME these perpetrators were of Dutch descent, but that's besides the point. Look at the heart of the facts of the investigation...number one: these monsters were FROM The Netherlands. We can all agree that the Netherland's lackadaisical social attitudes, particularly prostitution, money laundering and greed within the government is a big problem that affects others INTERNATIONALLY.

I'm not saying it doesn't happen in the U.S.


I'm saying it happened in the Netherlands and my focus is to bring forth these types of stories to reiterate that the Netherlands and their little 'happy' kingdoms in the Caribbean are the devil's playground.

Their big mistake? Opening the Pandora's box called Michelle and THIS BLOG. Seek and destroy.

Officials: 20 Busted Smuggling Young Girls for
Prostitution, Scaring Them With Voodoo

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Police across Europe and in New York arrested 20 people suspected of smuggling young girls out of Nigeria and forcing them to work as prostitutes after intimidating them in voodoo rituals, Dutch prosecutors said Wednesday.


Thirteen of the suspects were arrested in a series of coordinated raids in cities across the Netherlands, the national prosecutor's office said in a statement. Police also found 10 illegal immigrants, who were turned over to the immigration service. Acting on requests from Dutch authorities, police in New York; Madrid, Spain; Antwerp, Belgium; and the central British city of Coventry also arrested five Nigerian suspects. A sixth Nigerian was arrested last week in Dublin, Ireland.


Prosecutors believe the gang had been smuggling underage Nigerian girls into the Netherlands for years using fake travel documents before shipping them to other parts of Europe to work as prostitutes. "The people smugglers gave the victims false travel papers, airline tickets and instructions on how to apply for asylum at (Amsterdam's) Schiphol Airport," the statement said. "The youngsters were also under pressure by voodoo," the statement said. "In Nigeria, they were forced to swear an oath to a voodoo priest to pay back a so-called debt. This had to be done with the proceeds of prostitution."


For a year, Dutch authorities had been investigating the disappearance of young Nigerians from asylum seeker centers. Since January 2006, about 140 underage Nigerians have disappeared from the centers, which are not tightly guarded. Several girls have been found working as prostitutes in France, Italy and Spain, prosecutors said.


The suspects arrested in the Netherlands were to be arraigned this week and the national prosecutor's office requested the extradition of the suspects arrested in the United States, Ireland, Spain, Belgium and Britain.


They are suspected of people trafficking, involvement in a criminal organization, falsifying travel documents, fraud and money laundering.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,304741,00.html


BBC article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/south_yorkshire/7060680.stm

ARUBA MAKES SECRET BID FOR 2008 TERRORIST TRAINING CAMP

The terrorists are coming and Aruba has been the first to jump on the idea of hosting their stay. Not only because Aruba is "One Happy Island", but "everyone knows everyone", if you know what I mean (wink, wink..)

One ATA spokesperson was heard saying, "We will gladly accept their money..we don't care where it comes from." Insiders believe that Aruba's sudden friendliness with terrorists is due to the boycott of Aruba.

An unnamed inside source stated, "We are sinking fast, and I'm not going to jump ship...we are all coming together with buckets to bail us out. And if those buckets happen to be terrorists...so what?"


Note: The above is a joke...the below is true. I have to clear some confusion, because some didn't "get" my humor and took it as a true story. Wake up McFly! :) Just kidding...don't be mad.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Islamic terrorist groups have networks in Latin America and the Caribbean and could use the region as a base to launch attacks on the United States, the senior U.S. military commander for the region says.


"For sure, members, facilitators, and sympathizers of Islamic terrorist organizations are present in our hemisphere," Adm. Jim Stavridis, head of the U.S. Southern Command. "We consider Latin America and the Caribbean as being highly likely bases for future terrorist threats to the U.S. and others."


U.S. officials have warned of a militant presence in Latin America since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. They have provided little concrete evidence and Brazil, which has a large Arab population, and some other regional governments have played down the threat.


But Stavridis was reiterating U.S. concerns after police said in June they had foiled a plot to sabotage New York's John F. Kennedy airport by suspects linked to the Caribbean. The Lebanon-based Hezbollah was the most prominent group in Latin America, Stavridis said. Most of its activity appeared to be fund-raising but "there are indications of an operational presence and the potential for attacks."

Click here for ENTIRE article

THE RED LIGHT IS FADING...WILL IT EVER GO AWAY?

The Land of Johns, Whores, Whores, and More Whores...

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - About a third of Amsterdam's red-lit windows for prostitutes will disappear from the city center as one of the main brothel owners is set to sell his empire (I think calling something that an "empire" is just appalling and disgusting beyond belief...more like a really wealthy PIMP!) to a real estate company.


A housing company is to buy 18 premises, currently featuring 51 windows, for about 25 million euros ($35 million), Amsterdam city council said.


Last November, the city revoked the trading licenses of 33 brothels because they were suspected of criminal activities including money laundering and drug dealing. However, the brothel owners appealed successfully against the decision.


Tourist authorities acknowledge the 700-year-old red-light district -- a maze of narrow alleys and canals lined with sex shops, prostitutes behind windows and marijuana-selling "coffee shops" -- is as much of a draw as other attractions such as the Van Gogh museum or the Anne Frank House. Mayor Job Cohen said he had no plans to rid Amsterdam of prostitution but the concentration of sex in the city center was too high.

LET'S FOCUS ON ANOTHER "UNOFFICAL" SUSPECT, MICHAEL POSNER

An old article to revisit...we can't forget about this scumbag!
The dutch need to look into him as well.

Monday, November 21, 2005
[translated by Getagrip]

Aruban casino owner with criminal past goes to America
Joe Mammana is not permitted to enter Aruba due to his past
but how did we end up with Mike Posner?

We all know that Joe Mammana won't be visting Aruba or anywhere else for that matter...he's sitting in jail awaiting his sentence and is facing up to 7 years in prison for tax evasion (isn't that ironic?) However, when I used to talk to Joe, he told me that he DID go to Aruba after he was "banned". Since he has a criminal background, I'm sure he found a way to get into the country without the correct identification or slipped through the cracks. He laughed when he said he was walking all around the island and NO ONE noticed him. Shows how much their "security" works!

DIARIO Aruba
11/21/2005


ORANJESTAD (AAN) The case of Natalee is taking other unexpected twists and very negative ones that are going to tarnish Aruba’s image as a safe destination for tourists and investors.


Joe Mammana has a very impressive criminal past in the U.S. but for one reason or another he has found publicity with different cases which have set his image straight and in the case of Natalee, he is trying to find national attention in the US by using sensationalism via the American media. The government of Aruba recently declared that they will not permit Joe Mammana to enter Aruba.


Related to his past and criminal record, the government took the decision via the Minister of Justice that they cannot let such a person enter Aruba and about this there was information circulating that this Joe person sent a threatening letter to those who were detained in Aruba related to the case of Natalee.


The government’s actions in this case were correct because they cannot let this type of person come to Aruba and believe that they can come do what they see fit on our island, and to boot, Mammana is one of those who is trying, body and soul, to organize an unjust and unjustifiable boycott against Aruba. (Joe didn't organize ANYTHING...he was just a "talking head"...all talk, no action. It is WE, the grassroots movement that are making a difference in the boycott, not Joe.)


What is strange is that the government refuses to let this ex-criminal enter Aruba, but on the other hand, permits another ex-criminal, Mike Posner who is going soon to the U.S. for cases of law violations, to be able to have a business in Aruba, and enter and leave Aruba whenever he wants.


To make matters worse, the person in question, Mike Posner, has been able to obtain a permit to operate a casino, where anyone who wants to have a casino in Aruba and the majority of other countries in the world have to have a clean criminal record.


Recently, this information has started to circulate in the U.S. as well, and seeing that it hasn’t been many days since via the American media false information was given that Aruba is a sort of den for criminals and even terrorists, the matter of the Aruba casino owner with a criminal past in the US, is going to help those who want to implement a total boycott against Aruba.


Wasn’t it in Mike Posner’s casino that the principal suspect in Natalee’s case, Joran van der Sloot, was sitting gambling, despite the fact that he was underage and that never should he have been permitted to enter the casino?


Some weeks back, other media in Aruba came out in vanguard of the ex-criminal Mike Posner and wrote and article that praised Mike Posner for his supposed achievements in Aruba and what interest they had with him, nobody knows. (To me, that is really sad...awhile back I wrote a post about Posner and his Chicago days burying himself in various criminal activities such as pimping, owning strip clubs and involvement with the mob. He spent time in Joliet prison with the likes of John Wayne Gacy. Read all about Michael Posner by clicking HERE.)


Now that the government refuses an American ex-criminal entry to Aruba, the government has to justify the reason why until today they continue to permit a person with such a police record such as Mike Posner, can come to set up a business in Aruba, continue to operate his business in Aruba and come and go whenever he wants.


What sort of handling of Justice is there in Aruba and what impact will this case have in the US when the American media start to question the government of Aruba about this matter? This matter is pending because there are more questionable things here and also the role that certain politicians in Aruba play and continue to play in this matter.



http://getagripmonkey.blogspot.com/2005/11/aruban-casino-owner-with-criminal-past.html

STOP THE TAX HAVENS! STOP THE CORRUPTION AND GREED!

Antilles oppose place on list of tax haven

WILLEMSTAD/WASHINGTON – Together with 33 other islands/countries, the Neth. Antilles appears on a recent proposed bill by three American senators that want to engage the tax haven abuse (abuse of tax paradises) (Aruba and the Netherland Antilles are on this list.) Via diplomatic channels in Willemstad, The Hague, and Washington; the Antillean government is vigorously protesting against that. (Why? Bad for tourism? Bad for organized crime?)


This is the so-called Levin-Coleman-Obama Stop Tax Haven Abuses Act. The democratic American presidential candidate Barack Obama is among the three senators that introduced the bill. Being mentioned on the list of 34 ‘offshore secrecy jurisdictions’, as the countries in the document are being describes, can have an adverse effect on the financial sector.




As a matter of fact, the Antilles have done everything possible lately, not to be reputed as tax haven. For example, with the New Fiscal Outline (NFR) the entire tax system – especially with regard to the international financial service - is turned. Meanwhile, the Antilles received the hallmark of the European Union (EU) and of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), acknowledged the former Dutch minister of Finance, Gerrit Zalm (VVD) during a lecture for the Antillean Central Bank.




Secretary of state Alex Rosaria (PNP) of Fiscal Affairs says that the government in Willemstad is doing everything possible via diplomatic channels to get the name of the Antilles removed from this list. “The law is not enacted yet, but we also do not want this to assume a life of its own.” He points out that the United States has recently ratified the treaty in connection with exchanging tax information. Meanwhile, Rosaria has contact with the American consulate-general in Curacao, Robert Sorenson, about this and says that Finance and Foreign Affairs in The Hague are aware of this and that minister Plenipotentiary Norberto Ribeiro at the Dutch embassy in Washington is brought in.


Also Aruba appears on the challenged list. It’s not clear yet what this island is going to do against this. The US-senators write in an elucidation that the 34 jurisdictions were taken from the American tax service, IRS that identifies these countries as possible locations for evasion of American taxes.


http://www.amigoe.com/english/

OLD STORY--SAME OL' SITUATION

Some words from Aruba's ex-Prime Minister, Jan Eman:

"Aruba's geographical position is a blessing and a curse at the same time"," says Ex-Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. Eman, alluding to the pleasant climate which attract thousands of tourists each year, and the unpleasant closeness of the Colombian and Venezuelan northern shores which makes it vulnerable for drug-traffickers.


According to Eman, Aruba is burdened with the problem of other nations: "The drug trade is not Aruba's primary responsibility. The market is in Europe and the United States. It is not our fault they (How about Aruba controlling their own borders? It's always the blame game with these people...) cannot control their borders, that Aruba is used as a transit point".

"The US Government is not as dismissive as Mr Eman. Within three years Aruba rose from a 'medium risk' to a 'high risk' country in the State Department's annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. The island is used as a base for bulk transhipment of cocaine to the US and Europe, through its Free Trade Zone.

Off-shore corporate banking facilities, the casino/resort complexes, high volume tourism (not anymore!), and a stable currency all make Aruba attractive to money laundering organizations. Eman considers these reports as too negative and suggests that Aruba is in good company since ""the US and Holland rank number one on the list as well". (Hidden excuse: Well, it's ok if others do it!)

"The US is concerned about credible reports that some members of the Aruban government met regularly with individuals associated with drug trafficking and money laundering syndicates.


In spite of, or perhaps because of, the denials by Aruba officials, the US remains convinced that entrenched money laundering organizations direct large cash deposits into land development and other construction projects on the island."

The Netherlands is equally worried. ""I think we are going to loose it on Aruba"," Arthur Docters van Leeuwen, the Dutch Attorney General, said about the counter-narcotics efforts on the island. Aruba is in the hands of some powerful families and Holland can't do anything about it, due to constitutional restraints.


The reasons for Docters' pessimism were revealed when a confidential report on the Aruban Security Service – the Veiligheidsdienst Aruba (VDA) – leaked in the Dutch press. In October 1994 its director Martien Ras had sounded the alarm-bell. He had written to Docters, then chief of the Dutch security service, that democratically elected officials promoted the interests of private business-men to such an extent that Aruba's democratic institutions were in danger.


Both the Dutch security service and the American CIA had assisted Ras with his investigations. Ras wrote to Docters because Eman – freshly re-elected as Prime Minister – demanded to see the VDA-files about Aruban entrepreneurs who Ras suspected of money laundering and linked to drug traffickers. The Dutch rapidly removed the files, but Ras had to quit his job. Since then he Ras has lived in hiding somewhere in Holland. His interim successor, a Dutch intelligence officer, confirmed his conclusions.

December 1996 President Clinton put Aruba on the list of Major Illicit Drug-transit Countries.

MORE DUTCH "WHORE-OR" STORIES...

Amsterdam cleans up its act??? Riiiight...We'll see about that...

The famous red light district in Amsterdam is a haven for organised crime, according to the city council at least. Not so, say brothel owners who are resisting the capital's crackdown. Nicola Smith investigates further. One third of the famous 'window' brothels and sex clubs of Amsterdam are facing closure after the city council recently refused to renew 33 licences in a crackdown against organised crime.


Famous as a social experiment, the red light district also has vocal critics. The narrow alleyways of Amsterdam's red light district have attracted prostitutes and their clients since the 17th century and have now become a major tourist attraction. But the council edict could change the face of the area, removing the sight of scantily clad women beckoning custom in the glow of the street windows' neon lights. City councillors say the clampdown is necessary to tackle suspected money laundering in some brothels. Some human rights groups claim the move also shows resolve to fight the trafficking of women and forced prostitution.

Denials

The accusations of links to organised crime have been shot down by the nine brothel owners set to lose their money-spinning businesses. The group is set to challenge the decision in a court case on 19 January.


Twenty of the buildings and 60 of the 'windows' are owned by "fat" Charlie Geerts, a big player in the porn industry and the red light district for decades. Last week, his lawyer Han Jahae said previous investigations had proven Geerts had no links with criminal activities and that the council's information was both wrong and out of date. "Basing such drastic action on information this old is totally unreasonable," he said.


Nevertheless, Geerts has since sold a fifth of his brothels and windows, selling three buildings with 13 rooms. The buyers were two brothers. Geerts said the sale had been planned before Amsterdam's crackdown. "I simply want to enjoy old age," he said.

Prostitutes' union

Meanwhile, the closures are also being fought by the prostitutes' union, "Red Thread", which says women could be forced onto the streets if the windows are shut down. Mariska Majoor, a former prostitute who now runs the Prostitution Information Centre, said the crackdown would hurt the women who worked legally as independent contractors renting space in the windows.


"There are lots of benefits from working in a window brothel," she says. "It is a thousand times better than being in an illegal brothel or working in dangerous circumstances on the street." "People do not take the profession seriously. It is a mistake of the local government to automatically think it is rescuing the girls," she argued.

Tourist attraction

Others, like porn film producer Hans Burger, have complained Mayor Job Cohen is making a mistake that will "ruin" the city's booming tourist industry. By some estimates, a third of all tourists in Amsterdam visit the red light district, although most just pop by for a curious look. The city's deputy mayor, Lodewijk Asscher, denied the accusation. "Amsterdam is very popular with tourists because it is an exciting and liberal city. It's much broader than just window prostitution," he says.


Asscher stressed the council wanted to target crime rather than prostitution itself. He remains "very worried" by the number of cases of trafficking in women. A number are believed to be linked to the window brothels even though these became legal in the Netherlands in 2000. "If we legalise prostitution then we have an obligation to fight money-laundering and the trafficking of women," Asscher argues. "If we don't protect the women then it's not really tolerance, but indifference."

Changing attitudes

Fear of crime — last year saw 15 gangland killings in Amsterdam — appears to be changing traditional liberal Dutch attitudes towards prostitution. The Christian Democrat CDA and the ChristenUnie (CU) parties — both of which are expected to form part of the new governing coalition — want even tougher measures, including the prosecution of men who frequent prostitutes who are working against their will.


The CU's advisor on justice policy, Jakob Pot, said his party's position reflected changing attitudes in the Netherlands. "I think more people today than a few years ago see that prostitution is abnormal, whatever legalisation of brothels suggests," he says. But others, such as Petra Timmermans from the International Committee on the rights of Sex Workers in Europe, said the Dutch were experiencing outside pressure from countries that did not understand their traditions.


"The Netherlands has decided to do things differently so it is under tremendous pressure from neighbouring countries to re-evaluate its position," she said. "People look at the Netherlands and say it is a failed experiment because not every sex worker is a millionairess."

ARUBASTINKS.COM--A VENEZUELAN PROJECT

Looks like Americans aren't the only ones angry with Aruba. Some Venezuelan citizens have started their own website due to Aruba's shady business practices, transactions and lack of law enforcement due to certain island "untouchables". Hmmm...sounds so familiar, doesn't it?

GO VENEZUELAN ACTION GROUP!!! GIVE 'EM HELL!!!

Click here for their website

VENEZUELAN ACTION GROUP is composed of 14 Venezuelan citizens, organized to fight corruption, complicity, impunity, and negligence, shown by local businessmen and authorities, involved in introducing evil bias in the administration of justice in civil case related to SUN Development, Tierra Del Sol, SUN Capital.


The purpose of this Page is to make a loud and clear denunciation, about the unacceptable lack of protection and denial of fiduciary rights suffered by foreign investors (frequent visitors). We point out the HIGH RISKS present in the Island, due to lack of straight law enforcement and worsened by unfair / biased administration of justice.

A few local businessmen (founder shareholders) hold evil influences through ill-intended use of political, social and economical power, thus armoring themselves into “UNTOUCHABLE persons”.

BROTHEL OWNERS TAKE AMSTERDAM TO COURT

Money Laundering Cited for License Revocation

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — A group of brothel owners that represents nearly a third of the prostitutes in Amsterdam's famed red light district have challenged a decision to revoke their licenses, the city said Friday.



The city notified the owners of 37 brothels and sex show venues on Nov. 30 they would be closed because of suspected involvement in money laundering.


The brothel owners maintain their financial problems are caused by banks refusing to do business with them. In its statement, the city said it would wait for a court ruling to take action. The case will likely be heard in mid-January, the city said.


The brothels represent around 300 of the district's scantily clad "windows" prostitutes who stand behind windows and tap their fingers against the glass to attract customers. The narrow streets near Amsterdam's center have been a hangout for prostitutes since the city was the hub of a global trading empire during the Netherlands' 17th century Golden Age.

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OLD NEWS ON THE NETHERLAND ANTILLES, YET DISTURBINGLY RELEVANT

NETHERLAND ANTILLES POLITICAL LEADER CONVICTED OF CORRUPTION

WILLEMSTAD, Netherlands Antilles 2004 (AFP): The appeals court in Willemstad, the capital of the Netherlands Antilles, on Friday convicted the leader of the islands biggest political party to 15 months in prison, five of them suspended, for corruption and money laundering.




A lower court had already sentenced Anthony Godett, who leads the Frente Obrero Liberashon (FOL) party to a 12 months in prison of which three were suspended. The appeals court Friday said that sentence was insufficient in regard of the seriousness of the facts. Godett, whose FOL party came out on top in the Netherlands Antilles elections in April last year, was convicted for taking bribes, forgery and laundering money.




Slated to become prime minister after the elections, Godett had to give up that position because of the investigations and court cases launched against him. Instead he pushed his sister, Mirna Godett, forward as a candidate for the job.


After several scandals, Mirna Godett's government resigned after nine months. She also had no political experience whatsoever and she wasn't even fluent in Dutch, the language of government) to take "his" office. Myrna Godett who was a secretary for a waste disposal company had no education to speak of and was in fact a puppet of Anthony Godett who led the FOL and in fact the entire Netherlands Antilles from behind bars.


The Dutch Antilles are made up of five islands, Curacao, which has the most inhabitants, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba. Although the islands are an integral part of the kingdom of the Netherlands they have their own government.

Political crisis in the Netherlands Antilles

After about nine months, the Netherlands Antilles cabinet of Prime Minister Mirna Louisa-Godett (FOL) finally fell. The direct cause was the refusal of Justice Minister Ben Komproe (FOL) to leave his post after protecting convicted party members from going to jail.

Who was Ben Komproe?

As Minister of Justice, Komproe ordered the RST or recherchesamenwerkingsteam ("Team for Cooperative Criminal Investigation"), to cease investigation of his brother Hedwig Komproe. (Komproe and others appropriated almost a million guilders of the old Post NV was was sentenced to two years.) Additionally, he tried to have Attorney General Dick Piar fired.


When word finally came out that he had abused his position to help keep fellow party member Nelson Monte out of prison (Ben Komproe instructed the prison director to keep Monte in the hospital on "social indication", a condition not provided for by law. Yet another illegal act of Komproe.) The Netherlands Antillean parliament forced Komproe to step down, leading to the fall of the Godett Cabinet.


After his resignation, a judicial investigation was started on Komproe's tenure as a minister. The investigation included what went on at an open-air brothel Campo Alegre. Komproe was alleged to have given out signed letters, basically to allow dozens of prostitutes from Colombia and the Dominican Republic to reside on Curaçao. He was said to have plans to process each prostitute's permit of residence personally, and to have ordered a special stamp just for this purpose. In July of 2004, a judge determined that Komproe was not authorized to issue letters of that nature.


Additionally, Komproe did favors for Giovanni van Ierland, the incarcerated owner of the brothel. In September of 2004, Komproe was meant to be on the Curaçao Island Council for the FOL. However, he was arrested on 6 September 2004, and charged with corruption, fraud, and membership of a criminal organisation. On 24 September his imprisonment was delayed, because he had had a severe stomach operation a few days before. He never regained consciousness after his operation and died at age 61.


FOL's popularity stems mainly from its very anti-Dutch attitude. Blaming an external entity for all of Curaçao's problems has proven to be very successful with the Curaçaon population. The FOL provides them with a common enemy and an excuse for Curaçao's incompentence in governing themselves and for the general economic malaise which is rather a result of idleness of the Antillean population.


Promises of improvements in living conditions for the poorest of inhabitants have never materialised, as FOL-members have shown to be mostly out for self-enrichment at the expense of their voters.


(Source 1)

(Source 2)