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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The trial against Thanas Bakos, the "undercover banker" from Saranda who is suspected of having circulated 500 million euros of crime money together with several people from The Hague in the Netherlands, has started in the Netherlands.
He was allegedly responsible to two people from Dubai. According to the Public Prosecution, they instructed him to collect or deliver large sums of money to the Netherlands.
Thanas Bako is seen by the judiciary as an important player in the international network of secret bankers. Drug criminals use this to move millions of their profits out of sight of the authorities on the other side of the world. For example, to invest in real estate in places like Dubai or to order new shipments of cocaine to South America.
A total of 500 million euros of criminal money is said to have been moved thanks to Thanas Bako's group. According to the Public Prosecution, he received these orders to move money from two unknown persons. It is about two men from Dubai, of whom only the names with which they sent messages are known: Saad and Sultan.
"On a daily basis, the suspect sent these two men statements of all transactions made. He had to give an account to them ", said the prosecutor.
According to his lawyer Marijn Zuketto, this proves that Thanas Bako is not "the main banker of the underworld". "You see in the file that the man, whom the Public Prosecution says is my client, does nothing but relay messages from those two men from the Middle East. All the heavy qualifications that are made of it are nonsense. This entire file is about someone acting as a conduit, nothing more. My client has never been in trouble with the law, neither here nor in Greece. And it has nothing to do with criminal associations. It is completely empty.”
Behind the scenes, the Public Prosecution and the lawyer are however considering whether a deal can be reached. In these types of agreements, it is considered whether the case can be handled quickly. In return, the suspect receives a lesser sentence than normal. Lawyer Zuketto emphasizes that it is not an admission of guilt: " The proposal was made by the Public Prosecution, and then I think you should at least listen . "
The most important evidence in this case appears to be the countless messages that Bako is said to have sent to money couriers in the Netherlands via an encrypted phone. This mainly concerned the craftsmen from The Hague. A painter, a chimney sweep and a window cleaner, among others, collected or delivered large sums of money from criminals. The gang had two headquarters where the money was counted and packaged between various transactions: the 'Hague' office and the 'Amsterdam' office.
The case came to light two years ago after a tip from the FBI. Americans were able to read all kinds of messages about transactions. The conversations discussed locations, times and large sums sometimes up to a million euros in cash. The group used ANOM for this. Little did she know that this phone service had been developed and distributed to the underworld in complete secrecy by the FBI. Americans could read anything. After suspected money couriers in 2021, Thanas Bako was arrested in May this year.
He is now in detention for six months, but for a few more months. The court did not like that Bako could expect a free trial. “You yourself did not want to make a statement,” the judge said, then noted the staggering sums involved in the case: “In Rotterdam we are not easily shocked, but this is a case of extraordinary proportions. And who sees hard evidence that you are the person who directed all of this.”
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