The trade association Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) says that before taking further measures it should be carefully examined whether the directors of KHN Rekenwerk “can be held liable” and, if so, to what extent. The curator has been researching for almost a year.
KHN Rekenwerk went bankrupt in May last year, according to the board of directors, due to a “very small” number of already unpaid customers due to the coronavirus pandemic. The bankruptcy report states that customers had complaints. For example, many clients’ administration was “not completely up to date.” No declarations were submitted to the tax authorities and annual accounts were not prepared. “Although clients paid a monthly fee for this, the agreed work was not carried out,” the report reads.
Investigation
The tax authorities have presented a claim to the conservator for more than half a million euros. The total debt amounts to almost 2 million euros. In August of last year, the investigation into the legality of the bankruptcy began. The latest report, dated May 16, states that the curator has dedicated “the necessary time” to the investigation.
“KHN is awaiting the outcome of the curator’s investigation and what steps the curator will or will not take subsequently,” a KHN spokesperson said. Several KHN members have been affected by the bankruptcy, the spokesperson said. It is unknown what amounts are involved. KHN doesn’t want to say anything about it “in the interest of the liability investigation.”
The curator and Beljaarts were unreachable for the ANP. Beljaarts told De Telegraaf that there was no “personal responsibility” and that he would be a remote director until 2023. “When Rekenwerk’s performance fell behind, the shareholders asked me to actively collaborate with Rekenwerk. Through intensive supervision I discovered what I previously had been described as an alleged fraud. I reported it immediately and resolved the matter as best I could, in close consultation with the shareholder of KHN Rekenwerk BV.”
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