Daughter Held Hostage in Exchange for Hand-Over

In the previous episode 12, “Netherlands Enterprise Court and the Boer Companies”, Mr H.V. accused Caroline Vermeulen of embezzlement of €148,815. Mr H.V. was the independent director appointed by the Netherlands Enterprise Court on 10 March 2021 to run SWB Shipyard and SWB Shipping. And Caroline had been the CEO of the Boer companies since January 2021. Between 10 March and 11 June, the date on which H.V. denied Caroline Vermeulen entry to the SWB Shipyard, the two worked together amicably. For three months, H.V. left financial settlements to Caroline Vermeulen, as long as she didn’t buy any houses or cars. This was an oral agreement based on trust. H.V. praised Caroline’s knowledge and skill to the skies and made it clear that the criminal M.M. had to be removed from the Boer Companies.

TAPE OF CAROLINE!! PROOF!!

After 3 months there was a dismissal, because according to H.V., Ms Caroline Vermeulen was redirecting funds. Redirecting, eh? She made 4 payments which H.V. did not agree with. The friendly professional atmosphere was gone. Immediately, H.V. asked his lawyer to get out the big guns. This is no coincidence. What H.V. was doing was a premeditated strategy to: 

a) get rid of the Vermeulen family (play them, make them eat humble pie, bankrupt them);

b) set up M.M. as sole director over SWB and SWB Shipping;

c) possibly let SWB go bankrupt in favour of SWB Shipping, so that the trade in push barge cargoes could be continued. 

Why do I call this “a premeditated strategy”? I am assuming that H.V. had a duty to report to the Netherlands Enterprise Court and chatted regularly with his ‘network’. Something like, “So, Hamstra, any progress this week? Have you been able to lock Luna out yet? Is M.M. going to take over now?”

Ultimately, as described in Episode 12 “Netherlands Enterprise Court and the Boer Companies”, there are more things in heaven and earth…. 

The lawyer, on the order of H.V., wrote the following in his complaint to SWB, SWB Shipping and Vermeulen on 28 June:

“To secure the financial claims of SWB Shipyard against Boer Vastgoed, Boer Beheer and Vermeulen, the financial claims of SWB Shipping against Boer Vastgoed, SWB Shipyard and SWB Shipping request Your Honour’s consent to levy a third-party provisional attachment and attachment on real estate property.”

And thus a third-party attachment was levied on bank assets, real estate, and claims. The property of the executrix of the will, Luna Vermeulen, was plastered with court papers stating, “I can’t be sold unless the money goes to this, that, or the other party.” This time the chief claim was for repayment of all the rent, which with interest and costs came to €1,675,625. And then a few smaller amounts: €26,000, 2 x €27,384.50 and €139,750. ‘Small’ indeed, but all together it came to €220,519. I’ve been chasing a sum like that for quite a long time without making any headway, but I’m just a journalist and author, after all.

And attaching someone’s goods and assets is becoming quite the fashion. For a small sum you hire a bailiff and tell him or her, “That person owes me a car, a new roof, a machine, a commercial building, etc.” Then the bailiff seizes the house and electric bicycle, and you hire a lawyer. Unfortunately, the lawyer’s fees vary from €150 to €500 per hour. But you can try to let them share in the “profit”. Certainly if it’s a claim for money. Thus, I’m constantly wondering if Nabod is flat-out being sponsored by people who have an interest in a bankruptcy of SWB and SWB Shipping, or if his lawyer is working for nothing in exchange for a certain percentage of the loot. 

Police report

But you understand the mechanism that H.V. is working with: trying to punish Caroline and simultaneously force the main shareholder to hand the company over. Hence the title “Daughter Held Hostage in Exchange for Hand-Over”.

And there was another reason to punish Caroline:

On 11 June, Caroline Vermeulen made it clear to Mr H.V. that he had to pay the temp agency Technisch Uitzendbureau v R. The invoices were €600,000 in arrears. A temp agency has priority over other debtors, because the shipyard stands or falls by the completion of its work by skilled employees. H.V. decided not to go through with the payment to the agency and Caroline was furious. Not a week later, Technisch Uitzendbureau v R attached everything that wasn’t nailed down at SWB Shipyard. And of course, no temp employees showed up to work. Hastily H.V. paid a few bills, but oh, what a fool he looked now. 

H.V. was out for revenge. He was determined to force Luna Vermeulen to hand over the company. On 18 June, he called in his lawyer and on 28 June he made a report to the police. If prosecuted and convicted of the crime of embezzlement, Caroline Vermeulen could be sent to prison. 

The report went as follows:

Subject: Embezzlement in Employment, between Wednesday, 5 May and 12 June 2021. H.V. reported the crime of embezzlement on behalf of Scheeps- en Jachtwerf L.J. Boer Sliedrecht bv (the full name of SWB Shipyard) and SWB Shipping bv.

I’m confused already. An administrator appointed by the Netherlands Enterprise Court makes a report to police on behalf of companies where Luna Vermeulen is 55% and 50% shareholder respectively? And Caroline is her daughter. This comes across to me as a preposterous situation. 

Then there followed a ‘blah-blah’ sob story full of lies such as, “Starting on 10 March 2021, Caroline was only allowed to transfer funds with my written permission.” That’s not true, because H.V. had given Caroline a free hand.

H.V. also claimed that the entire Vermeulen family was corrupt. 

“As soon as I was appointed as administrator and manager of the shipyard, Carolina (editor: Luna Vermeulen) was suspended as director.”

No, Mr H.V., the Enterprise Court asked both directors, M.M. and Luna Vermeulen, to step down so that you, representing the Enterprise Court, could impartially investigate what was actually going on with this shareholders’ tango in the Boer companies. And how to resolve the problems. I’m getting ahead of myself with material for coming episodes, but I can reveal to you already that H.V completely failed in his mission.

Then, H.V. stated in the police report:

“I reported by telephone to our lawyer and on 18 June my lawyer contacted Caroline’s lawyer by e-mail. He said that a payment had been made without approval, and asked that the money be returned. That was not done.”

Then the sentence: “After the statement was read by the declarant, the declarant approved his statement”.

The police report was written up and filed on 28 June 2021.