HONG KONG has become the focus of a five-year Dutch money laundering and tax evasion investigation linked to a series of murders, drug trafficking, pornography, and millions of dollars in allegedly dirty cash.
But a hearing last Thursday to gather evidence in the complex case was postponed until May 5, after defence solicitors Haldanes called for more time.
The investigation revolves around alleged tax evasion by Dutchman Charlie Geerts, who runs the largest pornographic business in Europe and who was arrested last November.
His company, Scala, based in Holland where pornography is legal, is also under investigation, as is a Hong Kong company believed to have been used as a front to launder about $100 million since 1988.
His co-accused is alleged bagman Ricardo Reeberg, who was arrested on March 23.
Reeberg's detention coincided with the arrival in Hong Kong of officers from the Fiscale Inlichtingen en Opsporings Dienst, the equivalent of the Inland Revenue Service in the US.