Judges miss goal, says Otto

Thank you, said Klaas Otto after the Breda court sentenced him to six years in prison for assault, extortion and money laundering. "I'm going to appeal," Brabander says before he is dismissed by two prosecutors. He can not wait for this appeal from the court at liberty.

Before the verdict, Otto had declared Thursday morning in court against the journalists that he did not believe much because the judiciary had concealed "exculpatory information".

In the opinion of Klaas Otto, he is the founder of the No Surrender automobile club. wrongly presented as the leading figure of organized crime in Brabant and must therefore be punished. He is not surprised that he is found guilty of extortion, threats, mistreatment and money laundering of 1.3 million criminal assets.

According to the court, Otto was sentenced to seven years in prison on the basis of proven offenses. But because of the long duration of the investigation and the tumultuous course of the criminal proceedings, the sentence eventually falls one year less.

This is because Otto has long been under heavy detention because of the suspicion that he would have wanted to commit an attack on the prosecutor at the time. This suspicion was based on information from the criminal environment, but nothing was left of it. According to the court, Otto spent too much time unjustifiably in this extra-safe prison in Vught.

This does not detract from the fact that the court heavily accuses Otto of extorting money, threatening and mistreating two men. Like Otto, the two men were active in the Brabant automobile industry and were initially so afraid that they dared not explain to Otto.

The court felt that this was understandable given the extreme violence that Otto sometimes used. One of the victims was so severely beaten by him that when he was examined at the hospital, his cheekbone was broken. He suffers four years later. This is why Otto must also pay the man compensation of about 100,000 euros.

The other victim was also abused and his wife and children are seriously threatened. So serious that this victim, Joop M., shot at Klaas Otto while Otto was at the door of Mr. at night. Both men paid hundreds of thousands of euros to Otto through his company. The amounts were masked by fake transactions with cars and repair bills.

In evaluating the evidence, the court concluded that Otto "was not afraid to use force". Also from recordings made by one of his victims, the court ruled that Otto was acting aggressively and threateningly.

Unusual Spending Spending

Based on a cash flow study within Otto's automakers, the court also convicted Otto for "abusive practices": his spending habits are not explained by normal business activities. In total, this represents an amount of 1.3 million euros.

A spokesman for the prosecution said he was satisfied with Klaas Otto's conviction, although the Attorney General had hoped for a harsher sentence given the sentence of ten years in prison. But, in particular, the fact that Otto was termed "professional criminal" by the court is important according to the spokesman.

Klaas Otto is the subject of a police investigation for years, which has intensified after the creation of No Surrender in No. 1. In the eyes of the Brabant authorities, Klaas Otto became the figurehead of No Surrender in the press. organized crime. According to the Crown, the fact that many people did not dare to speak about him was significant for his position in the criminal environment. With the qualification of "professional criminal", the untouchable image of Otto was broken, according to sources of the Brabant criminal investigation.

This verdict is therefore a first step. Klaas Otto is still suspected of having influenced the witnesses in the criminal case for which he is now found guilty. In addition, he and several other members of No Surrender are suspected of aggravated assault and threats against a motorcycle club member and a member of a criminal organization.

The camp Bergen op Zoom is convinced that he is the leader. for justice because of the establishment of No Surrender. The fact that the court accepted and described Otto as a professional criminal visibly frustrates him. That's why he's going to appeal. "You did not examine the case properly," he told the judges before his dismissal.