The Belgian Prince Henri de Croÿ likes to celebrate. Photos show him as the host of a noise-fest in the castle of Azy, a dream in Burgundy. Dozens of nobles and financial specialists from all over Europe travelled. Henri de Croÿ – black suit, black bow tie, smiles in the pictures, satisfied, he leaves the impression of a man, it is at the very top.
This image now has cracks.
Against the 60-Year-old runs in the Geneva criminal proceedings, as research shows. Several wealthy families from France and Belgium have filed a complaint. They had entrusted to the de Croÿ – controlled financial management Helin 88 million Swiss francs of this money is now gone.
The Helin group is a hard transparent commercial netting with branches in Geneva, new castle and the United Arab Emirates.
To the Public, the whole thing came up because of a data leak. Last autumn, have been playing the French magazine “L’Obs” thousands of confidential documents from Helin. The journalists published the information under the title “Dubai Papers”. After the unveiling, opened a financial investigator in Paris in an investigation for tax fraud and money laundering.
“My fortune was entrusted to the Helin group, is nowhere to be found.”Damaged
In Geneva, a ranged Helin customers before and after the “Dubai Papers” criminal charges. According to information from the Tamedia-Recherchedesks have reported a total of five private plaintiff, the all say that your money was lost. “My fortune, which was entrusted to the Helin group, is nowhere to be found. And I can get it for me for lack of contact, no information,” says one of the allegedly Injured party. The investigation goes on; for the accused, one of which is Henri de Croÿ, the presumption of innocence.
On the 15. March surveyed the Geneva Prosecutor Caroline Babylon Casutt the Prince for hours, they determined, because of embezzlement, and unfaithful business management. This newspaper was able to take in the Protocol of questioning insight. It shows the tricks with which the Helin group has enabled their French and Belgian customers to bypass the tax authorities. To anonymous Bank cards from Intercash, Catella and Thai Prime; couriers delivered personally cash; encrypted USB drives for secure communication and collection accounts in which the funds were mixed, in order to disguise their origin.
Complex commercial netting
A goal of Helin it was according to previous investigations, the customer, to bypass the automatic exchange of information (AEOI). Over one hundred States now share with each other information about Bank accounts, cross-border tax evasion. In Switzerland the law is since 1. January of 2017.
Helin had developed a complex commercial netting to the exchange trick. Customers subscribed shares in an investment Fund in Mauritius, with sub-accounts at a Bank in Puerto Rico. The island is a US territory, practiced the AIA. The custodian didn’t know the name of the customer. Only Henri de Croÿ should be aware of it.
diver Alexei Korotaev. Photo: Keystone
The construct worked but not the way it should. Helin lost control over the funds after they were deposited in small Bank PKP. The money house was under the control of the Russian-Swiss businessman and Ex-Diver Alexei Korotaev. “Unfortunately, everything is broken,” admitted Henri de Croÿ in front of the Prosecutor. According to him, Korotaev had alienated the funds purpose – to buy, among other things, the football club Roda JC Kerkrade, who currently plays in the second Dutch League. According to a spokesman Alexei Korotaev denies any wrongdoing. He accused, in turn, the administrator of Helin in the United Arab Emirates, to have his signature forged, the money abzuzügeln.
“I am here, because it has not always done what I was commissioned.”Henri de Croÿ
the state attorney said Henri de Croÿ, he had been in Helin’s only a door opener, the customers have introduced, without the actual business process. Criminals in the United Arab Emirates had taken him deceived and in control of the company. “I am here, because it is not always done, what I have given in order,” he said during the interview.
lawyers for The injured clients to doubt this Version. In the internal Mails, the existence of this newspaper, is Henri de Croÿ omnipresent. He gives precise instructions and he used a Pseudonym to hide his identity: A3.
The Château d’Azy in Burgundy. Photo: PD
According to his Swiss lawyer, Grégoire Rey, the Prince is now spending “all his time and all his savings”, to look after the money of its customers. Part of it is blocked for a large asset Manager in the UAE, ADS Securities. Lawyer Rey stresses that no one takes issue with his client, “to have even a single franc for themselves”. The Prince believe it, a court in the UAE needed to the money to get free.
The Château d’Azy in Burgundy, officially belongs to a complex Structure. To informed sources, Henri de, it should Croÿ, however, have referred to as “my castle”. The property can be rented for private events. Point costs for a celebratory weekend in princely surroundings: a minimum of 10’000 Euro. (Editorial Tamedia)
Created: 10.04.2019, 10:37 PM
