Animals help suspected of shoddy millions

Bale hesitate if you've been a donor in recent years by the Dutch Foundation for Aid to Animals, the Foundation HELP, the World Animal Foundation or the Foundation Menodi. A spokesman for police eastern Netherlands was only 8 to 9 percent of all money raised from the last 5 years actually to where it was intended for a good cause.

After reports of suspicious transactions, the police Wednesday at various locations in the Netherlands and Germany search done in homes and businesses. There is seized include administration, cars, cash and real estate. Suspicion: fraud and money laundering. Many police would not say ,, The research focuses on these four foundations and four on the foundations affiliated companies working for them and gathered the money. '

fury
The mention of names has led to anger at Mark Vos, the four-member team from the World Animal Foundation in Berghem, which works for small projects at home and abroad. "Death Sick of it," he must help the whole day 'misunderstandings' of the world. ,, No, I do not know what's going on! No, there's no raid made ​​us !, '' he exclaims, clearly emotional. ,, Do the police know what damage it wreaks? There come here all day cancellations inside. ''

recruiting Office
,, We only ask !, '' grumbles Vos further. ,, The only thing we can think of, really the only thing is that our recruitment agency, Erdma, which among other things is in Wierden, something to do with it. There is indeed raided. They do for our recruitment and collect the money. The I noticed that they are becoming less collapsed into our account over the past seven months. The money so this net, after deduction of costs, remains and that we give to projects. '' According to Vos World Animal some 2,800 contributors and has always collected about more than 1 ton in donations in recent years. Of what enters the last 7 months, Vos can see that that amount is falling. ,, While it should go right up given the economy. Since we already had questions. ''

At the office of Erdma they would not comment, except that "there is a police investigation." It is striking that regularly pop up the same names on the boards of three other foundations (HELP, Menodi and Aid To Animals). Such is Gerrit-Jan de Man on the board of one of Menodi Aid To Animals.

Phone and let him know that "nothing is going on." ,, The police conducting a smear campaign against us and against charities in general. The police at one point even threatened me that they were going investigation 'leak' to the media, '' responds the man. ,, They are not on charity because of the tax benefits and so on. That's why they focus their sights on us. But I say there is nothing else on, our lawyer said, shut up. '

Behind the recruitment agency Erdma making so advertisement for World Animal and collects the money, is the 68-year-old German Harry Fillinger. It is remarkable that he was a board member in the history of the three other foundations (HELP, Help On Animals and Menodi). Fillinger therefore has a connection with all foundations. But only once he takes the phone number that appears on his business card and said that he is someone else.

The rather vague statements of Aid for Animals shows that the Foundation brought in nearly 3 million in grants and donations in 2014. Help the Foundation made ​​it (missing data later) a year earlier, almost 6 tons in donations and donations. Foundation Menodi took another 1.3 million in 2014. If knocking amounts that would mean that this is millions in embezzled euros. Although she websites say it is more than half of the money to charity, that's less than 10 percent, according to the police.

No arrests have yet been made. However, the police have two suspects in mind.

www.ad.nl/ By: Victor Schildkamp and Bas Klaassen Photo: PR