Many hundreds, possibly even thousands of Dutch people seem to have lost capitals to a prickly crypto investment fraud. OmegaPro was worth billions worldwide, until the pyramid collapsed. A reconstruction about a phantom company, shadowy investments, fugitive Dutchmen, reports and desperate victims under serious threat.
In a Dutch cab, the driver suddenly strikes up a conversation with Nora. Whether she doesn't want to invest in a high-yield project? The driver, Najam Ali C., knows her partner, and only family and friends - he emphasizes - he wants her to benefit from this unique opportunity.
A short time later, as can be seen on a video, Najam - dressed in a nice dark blue suit - is sitting at a party at the Van der Valk establishment near Schiphol Airport. He is smiling from ear to ear, receiving flowers and three kisses from another Dutchman, Abdulghaffar M. Because: he has brought in many participants.
"Thank you," he says. But it's not about him, he shouts drunkenly into the camera. "It's not about me being 'Blue Diamond,' not about Gaga (Abdulghaffar's nickname) being 'Black Diamond.' It's about the team. Each person is important. Are we going for it?" There are cheers. Blue and black diamonds are awarded to the best recruiters.
OmegaPro headquarters located in Dubai
OmegaPro deals with crypto-forex. Forex, or Foreign Exchange, is a decentralized global market where all foreign currencies are traded. OmegaPro was founded in 2019 on the tiny islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, headquartered in Dubai. German Dilawar S., American Mike S. and Swede Andreas S. are the top executives.
The principals say they "work 24 hours a day. The company "never sleeps. One victim calls the methods and atmosphere "sectarian. "I had a gut feeling, but a friend was very optimistic about it. That's how you roll into it." Many Dutch are persuaded and invest heavily.
The movement bluffs with an algorithm that would produce high profits in investment markets. After there are three million investors, profits of four billion dollars disappear. There seems to be an old-fashioned ponzi trick: the first investors pay with the deposits of later ones.
Winning souls at Van der Valk hotel
The sky was the limit in those days. A lot of time and money was put into events to win even more souls. So there was, December 20, 2022, that meeting at the Toekan Hotel: "The future of entreneurship, the future of entrepreneurship," a flyer read.
A Turkish Dutchman attends a party in Istanbul. "Abdulghaffar brought a hundred people from the Netherlands," he informs. "They organized a Bosphorus tour." A video shows frenzied, dancing people.
There will be a major global showdown in 2022. The OmegaPro Legends Cup will be played in Panama, Dubai and the Maldives, where ex-internationals Wesley Sneijder and Patrick Kluivert, wearing OmegaPro shirts, will be present. The top footballers have nothing else to do with the organization.
Other world stars are also snared: Ronaldinho, Kaka and Iker Casillas - whose toe kept Orange from the World Cup title 12 years earlier.
Website on black
Shortly thereafter, managers claim, the organization is suddenly hit by a hack. Investors can no longer access their "wallets," the website goes black. "There is not one percent chance that we won't overcome this," Paulo T. says still hopeful. "The year 2023 is going to be the best ever!" T. was "vice president of sales" of OmegaPro, and formerly a corporal 1st class in the Royal Army. He served twice in Afghanistan.
But the pyramid has collapsed, and some key figures seem to have gone up in smoke. Until they reappear anyway. Andreas S. is arrested months later in Turkey, where he obtained citizenship. The Swede lived with his family in an extremely expensive four-story villa - with a large swimming pool - on the luxurious Acarkent compound in Istanbul.
Computers and 32 so-called "cold wallets," which are not connected to the Internet, are seized. S. refused to give the passwords, but investigators are able to trace cryptocurrency movements for more than 160 million euros.
Chaos at the top is then complete. Double-dealing is feared. Abdulghaffar M. of Alphen aan den Rijn, who frequently appeared in promotional material, is one of the few who knew where S. was staying.
Seven million dollars lost
The 55-year-old president of the Afghan Association - he fled the Taliban to the Netherlands in 2000 - made a statement to the Turkish judiciary. He claims to have lost seven million dollars.
This is confirmed by his Amsterdam lawyer Keith Cheng. "I am working with the Turkish judiciary to provide information from thousands of victims/users. I also help thousands with their charges against OmegaPro."
Cheng argues that Mr. is "only user/victim who was familiar with using the platform. "My client has been designated a scapegoat because the real perpetrators got away with the money. With his family, he filed charges of fraud, embezzlement and swindling." The lawyer argues that the charges against M. were dismissed by the prosecution, but no evidence of that follows.
Several victims are convinced that M. has dirty hands. "There was probably a disagreement about the distribution of the money," says a Turkish Dutchman who spoke to De Telegraaf in Istanbul. M. is now said to be living in Dubai - his lawyer does not elaborate on this - and still has promotion of OmegaPro on Facebook. Of several other defendants, it is unclear who their lawyer is.
Lawyer Peter Plasman filed charges on behalf of victims
Peter Plasman filed charges on behalf of 12 victims against 10 Dutch nationals, including Abdulghaffar M. and his son Ali Sinan. "This has been a very sophisticated game," said the experienced lawyer. "I hope the justice system in the Netherlands takes up this case vigorously, because this is very big." That instigators of the pyramid scheme call themselves victims, he sees as a "classic trick. "That never absolves them of liability."
Most of the victims in the Netherlands are of immigrant origin, as are the recruiters, many of whom have Pakistani roots. Many victims do not know where to turn, and some have also invested black money, preventing them from going to the police anyway, sources report.
The Public Prosecutor's Office confirms the reports. "At this moment it is being examined what leads there are to start a criminal investigation," said a spokesman. Charges have also been filed against Paulo T. (37) from Hoofddorp. Just like against cab driver Najam. What is striking is that - several sources confirm - an attack has been made on his home in Amsterdam-Noord on several occasions. Other reports reveal that many more persons have been charged, including the prominent recruiter Shafiq H.
Rich history in network marketing
There is panic in the Netherlands, but also in Turkey. Dutchman Robert V., also a key figure, visits Andreas S. in Istanbul's Maltepe prison. V. ran platform Omnia Tech years ago, which went bankrupt in December 2018. Most of the main characters have a rich past in network marketing and cryptocurrency schemes.
Our compatriot exhibits paranoid traits. He arrives in the Turkish metropolis of millions on Aug. 26 and registers at three separate hotels in and near Istanbul in an effort to avoid being arrested as well.
That happens after all, on Sept. 3. He still quickly tries, horrified, to erase the contents of his phone to destroy incriminating evidence.
V. is detained in the Marmara Bay, Europe's largest prison, according to a connection of The Telegraph. An attempt to visit him there is stranded. "It appears not possible to visit at short notice." Prison visits are subject to strict rules.
Scandal stretches from Colombia to Myanmar
The full extent of the scandal is becoming clear. Reports have been filed all over the world: from Colombia to Congo, from Nigeria to Myanmar.
Nora filed a tax return in the Netherlands, but does not think she will see her money again. "I put in 25,000 euros, but there are people who have invested up to a quarter of a million euros."
She speaks anonymously because of her safety. "Anyone who brings things to light is seriously threatened." Many Dutch people found themselves in enormous trouble. "People had to sell their homes. Marriages have broken down. There are even stories going around of victims who committed suicide."
