The lawsuit against the founder of The Grass Company, Johan van Laarhoven, and his brother Frans will continue on Wednesday. The brothers are suspected of money laundering and tax evasion, among other things. The case has been dragging on for more than ten years and became even more complicated when Johan van Laarhoven spent years behind bars in Thailand. A source close to the brothers says they hope a settlement will be clear on Wednesday.
Johan van Laarhoven opened a coffee shop in Tilburg in the early eighties and expanded it into a chain: The Grass Company. Justice suspects him, his brother Frans and the current boss Marco de Jong of having rigged the prices with the purchase of weed for years.
Hundred years in prison
In 2011, the judiciary started an investigation. In the same year, Johan van Laarhoven sold The Grass Company to enjoy his retirement in Thailand. Justice asked the Thai police for help, with the result that they opened their own investigation. As a result, Van Laarhoven was sentenced in Thailand to more than a hundred years in prison.
After more than five harsh years in ‘the hell of Bangkok’, Van Laarhoven could be brought back to the Netherlands. He filed a lawsuit against the state, which is still pending and which is separate from the criminal case that the judiciary has now resumed.
All the fuss has slowed things down considerably. Everyone expects the court to take this into account. A settlement has also been discussed in this case since 2018. A source close to the brothers, who wishes to remain anonymous, indicates that these conversations are ongoing: “It would be nice if a settlement was successful. Otherwise, we will enter the courtroom with love and pleasure. But it would be so much easier if we got out.”
‘Saving misery’
The case will not be heard on Wednesday. Still, it seems to be an interesting day. “Then it’s about how we will communicate that final result with the court. The parties are far apart. But if you can work it out in a settlement, you save Johan even more misery, you have clarity for all parties and you prevent a legal drama in terms of time.
There is a large package of accusations against Johan and Frans van Laarhoven and De Jong: membership of a criminal organization, large-scale money laundering, tax fraud and drug trafficking. According to justice, they have never declared millions of euros to the tax authorities and channeled them to vague companies in Luxembourg and Panama.
The name of the source around Johan and Frans van Laarhoven is known to the editors.
ALSO READ:
Process around Johan van Laarhoven revived, but without Johan again
Johan van Laarhoven talks about millions of euros settlement with the judiciary