More than 16,000 euros in donations to the self-proclaimed ‘ex-spy’ Guido Blaauw from Goirle cannot be verified. Blaauw claims to have written a book about his time in the secret services and collected money for it. That money would go to people in Afghanistan, but there is no evidence that the money actually ended up there.
This is evident from research by Omroep Brabant. Blaauw writes in the announcement of his book that he has worked for, among others, the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). He would also have worked for the foreign intelligence service CIA (US). He has written down his experiences during that time as an autobiography.
Uncertainty about money
Blaauw’s book is called ‘No current too strong – Enemies of the State of the Netherlands’. The book was initially scheduled to be released on March 18, 2021. Since then, the publication of the book has been postponed several times.
People can buy the book if they make a donation of 27 euros. The action page states that there are more than 550 donations, with a proceeds of more than 16,000 euros. That money would be intended for Afghans left behind after the chaotic evacuation of 2021 when the Taliban returned to power in that country.
Blaauw regularly posts messages on Twitter from accounts that claim that they are being helped with the donations. But there are no images of Afghans in Afghanistan actually helped with the money. Blaauw is also unable to show proof of payments or that the money actually ended up there. It is unclear what happened to the money.
Chamber of Commerce
Blaauw is not registered as a director with any organization, so not even for the charity to help left-behind Afghans in need.
While it is customary for charities to register with the Chamber of Commerce as a foundation. This allows the foundation to open an account and makes it easy to separate the expenses of the foundation from the private expenses. Donors can also deduct donations from the tax.
In a tweet from early February this year, Blaauw further claims that he has submitted the book to the AIVD. Blaauw wrote: “My book is not allowed out without inspection by the service, that is not for nothing.” In response to questions from Omroep Brabant, the AIVD writes: “The AIVD has rejected Mr Blaauw’s request to read the manuscript.”
Reaction Blue
In a response, Blaauw writes: “Within now and three weeks, all donors will have received the book and then the discussion will be over.” He says he is working for “Afghans who are in hiding, most of whom are still waiting to be evacuated.” Blaauw says he does not do it from a foundation, but “simply with a group of volunteers who pay for it all out of their own pockets.” Blaauw writes about the payments that he will publish a complete overview of them. “But these are people in very dangerous positions.”
In his response, Blaauw continues: “I never said that I worked ‘for’ the AIVD, CIA or Mossad. Literally never. For a while I had a role as an agent at the AIVD (several years). Then you are not an ’employee’, but you have an external role that people should be able to deny. In that work, and just before, I dealt with Mossad and with the Americans, that’s right. But I have never worked for it and I have never claimed that anywhere.”
However, the announcement of his book literally states: “He ended up in intelligence work because of 9/11, ended up unexpectedly in a Mossad safe-house, discovered an internal leak at the AIVD and after conducting the first online cyber operations for the service he was asked by the CIA to go to Pakistan as a convert. The true story of a Dutch secret agent.”
The AIVD wrote to Omroep Brabant that Blaauw’s request to read the manuscript has been rejected. Blaauw writes about this: “The AIVD has known about the book since 2021. What is correct is that I only received confirmation on March 29 this year that a check is not necessary. This is partly because the cases that will be included in the book have already been extensively covered in the media between 2010 and 2012.”