Sywert van Lienden will be prosecuted for fraud, embezzlement for dodgy face mask deal

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) will prosecute Sywert van Lienden and two other directors of the Stichting Hulptroepen Alliantie (SHA). They face charges of fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering, the OM said on Thursday.

Central to this case is a deal for supplying face masks Van Lienden and his partners made with the Dutch government at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. In the spring of 2020, the three agreed with the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare, and Sport for the supply of 40 million face masks from China. Van Lienden had previously publicly stated that he would work on a non-profit basis. It later turned out that they fulfilled the order on behalf of their commercial company Relief Goods Alliance (RGA), and not the foundation, at a substantial profit.

Separately from the criminal prosecution, the Dutch government also sued Van Lienden and his partners over the deal, demanding 100 million euros in damages. During that trial, the three argued that the fact they would profit from the deal was never a secret and that the government knew it was working with the commercial company, not the charity foundation.

The first hearing in the criminal case is scheduled for December 19.