Investigation into Ostend ships opened to suggest dubious investments: “Building with pyramid schemes”

Opposition member Yves Miroir, a former Green and independent city councilor for a time, has filed a complaint with the public prosecutor’s office. according to VRT NWS four sources – these are also sources within the same party of Kurt Claeys – tell how the elder for Housing and Spatial Planning promised them a big return from international investments. For example, one of the witnesses was invited to the elder’s home where the financial aspect of the organization that the witness is responsible for was discussed. In the end, that witness was recommended to deposit the reserves for that group.

This would include investing through an intermediary in Germany where the amount could be multiplied in just one year. The ships themselves raised the investment. According to a witness, there was also a proposal from Claeys to use subsidies for that investment. It is said that another witness was asked to use the group’s resources, money that is used for social purposes in the city. In the end, according to the same certificates, no investment was made.

Documents that could be examined by VRT editors confirmed the possible investments. These are in the name of the company TFCC, registered in the United Kingdom. The document explains how the investment could double in one year. It is about several million.

Not for the first time

The public prosecutor’s office has now started an investigation after Miroir filed a complaint. He did this before against the same senators after a conflict of interest with his architectural firm. “It has to do with building a pyramid scheme, which is always deception and fraud. It is impossible to do business like this in a legal way,” says Miroir.

READ IN. Ostend Alderman Kurt Claeys responds broadly after conflict of interest complaint: “Completely wrong questions”

Despite the credentials, the ship says it never offered financial results or promised results. He is said to have recommended potential investors at the request of an acquaintance he claims is his personal trainer.

“That man is in contact with another man – a banker – who may offer an interesting financial result,” Claeys said in response to VRT NWS. “I’ve actually contacted some people with that experience. I never offered anything myself. In the end, I didn’t see any point in it and it seemed like a small attempt to get these people to communicate with each other. There was also no proposal to use public funds for that investment. I never got paid myself, but there was once a lunch meeting with TFCC in Germany. In the end I decided it wasn’t for me. Then I stopped communicating as well. If it turns out now that these are illegal products, I would be abused.”