Penalty payments, revoked permits, forced closure of parks and multiple lawsuits. Peter Gillis and his company Oostappen Group Holiday Parks make the news several times a week. It was announced on Thursday that Gillis is leaving his company ‘with pain in the heart’. What should happen next with the lawsuits and investigations surrounding the company?
The Oostappen Group was purchased by the Gillis family in 1986. At that time there were still about five hundred standing places at the first park, which is now called Vakantiepark Prinsenmeer. After purchasing holiday parks in Brabant, Belgium, Gelderland and Zeeland, the company now has eleven parks.
Raids at parks
The problems for Gillis started in 2019. Raids were carried out at various Oostappen Group parks. Administration, cars and a firearm were seized, among other things.
In court in March this year, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) stated that Gillis would allow people to stay undeclared in his parks. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he collected the money for the overnight stays in cash. His daughter Inge ensured that the amounts remained outside the administration.
Gillis also allegedly failed to keep payroll records for foreign employees and paid corporate tax too late. At the hearing, Gillis’ lawyer talked about a ‘scamp’ by the Public Prosecution Service and the Tax Authorities.
Housing migrant workers
Gillis also made a mistake with housing migrant workers. That is why several municipalities started investigations against Oostappen Group and imposed penalty payments. For example, during a raid on the Brugse Heide holiday park, there were dozens of foreigners who were clearly not on holiday.
As far as is known, an amount of more than two million euros in penalty payments was imposed. Gillis went to court to challenge this, but was repeatedly rejected. For example, the highest administrative court ordered him to pay a penalty of 500,000 euros to the municipality of Asten and 200,000 euros to the municipality of Terneuzen. The penalty of one million euros to the Limburg municipality of Peel en Maas also remained in place.
Not the best relationship with the municipality
Gillis hoped to earn extra money by housing asylum seekers at his holiday parks. He urged several municipalities to use his parks to accommodate asylum seekers. But the municipalities stated again and again that they were not interested.
It is clear that Gillis does not have the best relationship with municipalities. For example, the Prinsenmeer holiday park does not comply with fire safety regulations and Gillis is said to use the park for criminal matters. That is why the municipality of Asten withdrew all permits and the park has to close. The holidaymakers have now left the park. The permanent residents also have to leave eventually.
Conditions were so bad at Park Blauwe Meer in Lommel, Belgium, that the judge ruled in June last year that the holiday park must close within a year.
Future
On Thursday, Gillis announced that he will step down as director of the eight Dutch parks of Oostappen Group. He remains the owner of the parks and the real estate. A new operator is said to have been found for the parks, but it is not known who.
But because Gillis remains the owner, it does not really matter who the new operator is. The same permits are required that were previously obtained from Peter Gillis. If the municipalities discover in their research that the new operator works closely with Gillis, the problems are not simply solved.
Could take years
The various lawsuits against Gillis and his company could take years. Tax fraud cases are very complicated and time-consuming. This applies to the initial hearing of the case, after which appeal and cassation are also possible.
There is not much to say about the current position of the company at the moment. This is mainly because Gillis has not submitted annual accounts to the Chamber of Commerce for years.
If you look at all the penalty payments, the forced closures of parks and the loss of various additional sources of income, the question is how healthy his company is.
In the map below you see an overview of the abuses and lawsuits known to Omroep Brabant at the Oostappen Groep parks. You can also view the map via this link.
2024-04-11 17:17:35
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