Lawyer Plasman moves to file charges against Sywert van Lienden in mouthpiece case
Lawyer Peter Plasman is going to press charges against Sywert van Lienden and two business partners. They are guilty of fraud with their mouthpiece deal with the government, Plasman said on the talk show Jinek.
Following an appeal earlier this week, a number of aggrieved people have come forward to him, according to the lawyer. Presumably they are volunteers who helped Van Lienden bring millions of mouth caps to the Netherlands at the beginning of the corona crisis, when there was a severe shortage of medical supplies.
Refund
Initially, Van Lienden said he and his business partners earned nothing from the delivery. It later turned out that they made about 28 million euros from it. Only if Van Lienden and his associates pay back the profits can they avoid a lawsuit, according to Plasman.
Plasman further said at Jinek that there is a lot of fear among his clients. "They are afraid of ending up in all kinds of legal proceedings against people who have a lot of money," he said.
Cabaret artist Youp van 't Hek, who has harshly lashed out at Van Lienden several times in the media, supports attorney Plasman's case. Should costly civil proceedings follow the criminal case, Van 't Hek wants to raise money with a benefit performance, if necessary.
Inexplicable
Van Lienden called the deal himself at Buitenhof in June "inexplicable," but made no commitments to repay the profits. He did say he wanted to use his returns "for good causes."
He has not yet responded to attorney Plasman's latest allegations.
