A 74-year-old owner of a riding school on Witterweg in Assen is suspected of laundering more than 7.3 million euros. According to the Public Prosecution Service, a large amount of criminal money was invested between 2011 and July 2024 in stables and other facilities on the site.
The case was supposed to be heard on Monday, but has been postponed. The woman’s lawyer requested to hear thirty witnesses. The court agreed to the examining judge’s hearing of two witnesses, after which the hearing was moved to August 24.
The suspect denies all accusations. In court she indicated that she was shocked by the alleged value of her company. “I was shocked when I heard that my company was worth millions,” she said. According to her, the case leads to a lot of stress and sleep problems.
The current case is separate from a previous money laundering case. In February 2024, the woman and her two sons were sentenced to prison terms of 15, 36 and 24 months respectively. That case was related to an investigation into international drug trafficking, in which buildings in Roden, Steenwijk and Amsterdam were raided in 2018.
During that investigation, 763,000 euros in cash was found in a barrel in the ground on the riding school grounds. In addition, 140,000 euros were found in a home and money was also hidden under a mattress. The family stated at the time that the money came from an inheritance from their late husband and father.
In a new raid on July 8, 2024, the police again found prohibited weapons, including a pistol, a gas revolver and ammunition. This discovery is also part of the current indictment.
The Public Prosecution Service bases its case in part on aerial photographs showing extensions and renovations on the site. A construction expert estimates that a total of approximately 10 million euros has been invested. Only the woman is on trial for this, because everything is in her name.
The woman states that her late husband and helpers were responsible for a large part of the work. According to her, hired professionals were paid through the bank, which she said is verifiable.
She previously stated that both her sons helped considerably with the construction. But they denied this during previous interrogations. One of them is in Dubai, a video recording was made of his statement.
The court emphasized that there are still many uncertainties. “Madam gives a thin explanation with little support. The Public Prosecution Service comes up with a theoretical story based on an architectural report. The story is not very convincing from that side either,” said the judge.
Due to the size of the amount and the major consequences for the suspect, the court considers it necessary that additional witnesses are heard before the case is dealt with further.
