The Gelderland District Court today handed down judgments in the cases against a large number of suspects in the ZION investigation. This concerns an investigation into bankruptcy fraud, money laundering, participation in a criminal organization and forgery committed in the period from 2011 to 2013. Limited liability companies were taken over in the face of bankruptcy and drained, leaving creditors empty-handed.

One of the suspects, a 52-year-old woman from Venray, was acquitted for committing bankruptcy fraud in an organized criminal context, money laundering, participation in a criminal organization and forgery. The court was unable to establish from the woman, who is represented by Maastricht criminal lawyers Ivo van de Bergh and Joost de Bruin of Weening Strafrechtadvocaten, that she had any involvement in the offenses she was charged with. The court also dismissed the prosecutor's demand that the woman must repay earnings totaling €46,000 to the State.

Other suspects

However, two other suspects, a 50-year-old man from Venray and a 34-year-old man from Germany, were sentenced to imprisonment for 3 years and 16 months, respectively. Because 50-year-old suspect committed the offenses in the exercise of the profession of statutory director, he may not exercise the profession of statutory director of legal persons for 5 years. His deprivation case will be heard later. In addition to his prison sentence, the man from Germany must repay an amount of over €7,700 in illegally obtained benefit.

Seven other suspects were sentenced to sentences ranging from a partially suspended fine to community service sentences combined or not with suspended prison terms.