By Han Gommeren, 16th March 2002
Note: This article has been written
specially for Tvind Alert, by Han Gommeren, journalist for the Dutch
newspaper Eindhovens Dagblad. Dutch or Danish newspapers
wishing to print the article (first use) can contact Han Gommeren at: hangommeren@hotmail.com.
A BAN on export, an attachment on her bank
accounts, partners in clothes collecting in serious doubts of the good intentions
and Dutch town halls wondering if they should end the relationship with Humana.
Tvind is, also in Holland, under increasing pressure. And just two months ago members of the Tvind-Teachers Group
bought two houses for approximately 1,5 million guilders next to each other in
Maarn, also close to Bunnik. One of the
owners is Danish director Jytte Nielsen from Humana Holland, which claims to
collect used clothes for the benefit of the Third World.
Humana Holland has gotten in serious trouble. To begin with the clothes gathering-organisation with around a thousand clothes-bins in the country seems not to be able to pay her debts to the tax-office, says spokesman P. Evenhuis from VAOP. VAOP is a cooperation which coordinates the gathering of particular waste for several Dutch town halls. It claims 186.000 euros from Humana and for that reason an attachment has been put on the bank accounts of the organisation. Humana says it doesnt want to pay. Meanwhile it says that the tax-office has demanded Humana to pay tax. But Humana told us it doesnt have the money for this.
Further on the Inspection from the ministry of Environment last September put a ban on Humanas export of unsorted textile. This kind of export is against regulations within the European Union (EU). This decision followed after a thorough examination by the Dutch customs in Bunnik, where day in day out trucks from Tvind-owned companies in Eastern Europe come and go to export clothes for good commercial profits to countries as Ukraine, Russia, Lituania, Bulgaria. Also because of this doubts about the honest intentions of Humana are growing. Dutch town halls, such as Eindhoven, ask themselves if it wouldnt be better to end business with Humana. Zaanstad and Houten already did. It took Houten in 1999 even 16.000 guilders on juridical expenses to end the relationship with Humana from the beginning of 2003, writes Aleid Groothof from the political party called GroenLinks.
Property in Maarn
Despite all these facts, this could be coincidence, but just at the end of last year Humana dissolved the two foundations of which it existed: Humana Fundraising and Humana Re-use. Only during February the Companies Registry listed a new foundation: Foundation Humana. But there appears to be little change: it houses exactly the same board members as in the two dissolved foundations, the Danish-Connection didnt disappear. In the new board one can find the same Danish/Swedish long time members of the heart of Tvind, the Teachers Group: former director Per Jensen, Erik-Dorph Jensen, Jesper Wohlert, Kare-Sven Dahne. And also Pauline van de Stadt, a Dutch woman living in Ireland who is also connected to Humana there. The only funny thing is: both directors, the Dutchman Robbert van Baaren and the Danish woman Jytte Nielsen are no longer registered. Were not able to ask Humana why, because despite several phone-calls neither Van Baaren or Nielsen seems to be around.
Most of the board members must know each
other very well as members of the Teachers Group. Erik-Dorph Jensen for instance
is, according to the list of the Companies Registry, living at the same adress
in Getafe (near Madrid) in Spain as Jesper Wohlert. Both are (or were) connected
to Humana Spain. And Per Jensen suddenly seems to have moved to another adress
in the town Maarn, to a house that, according to official records, belongs to
Humana-director Jytte Nielsen since January of this year. Neighbours say one of
the house-sellers told them his house was being paid for in cash by the Danes.
The money, around 800.000 guilders, was said to have come from a bankaccount on
Jersey, which is a well-known tax-paradise for Tvind-companies. The real-estateman
in Maarn doesnt want to confirm this. Im afraid that is a private
matter, he says.
The board members themselves usually never speak to the press. Theyre not supposed to, because Tvind known as a cult very much objects to contact with journalists, because they only write whatever they want. Fact is, that Humana offially always denies any involvement with Tvind (thereby confirming that this dark movement actually exists) and in the meanwhile is doing big business with Tvind-companies. From that point of view it is not so strange that the house next to that of Jytte Nielsen was bought by two Danish women who are just like her known as members of the Teachers Group: Mikala Gottlob and Birgit Dinesen. It must make doing business quite easy and comfortable.
Luxury BMWs
Birgit Dinesen is director of the Tvind-company ConMore BV in Maarssen, near Humanas office in Bunnik. ConMore BV buys the clothes from Humana in Europe. Dinesen drives a brand new BMW5 station, from around 55.000 euros. Her colleague at the textile trading firm ConMore BV is the Dane Flemming Gustafsson. For him goes the same story: hes a long time member of the Teachers Group. ConMore is the European agent of the Tvind worldwide textile trading company Garson and Shaw. ConMore BV sells the second-hand clothes which have been gathered by the Humana organisations. Holland seems more and more to play an important role for Tvind, because the Companies Registry registeres at least one more firm that can be recognized as being part of the web: the textile trading company Seabridge International BV. Its accommodation adress is exactly the same as from ConMore BV: Keizersgracht 316 in Amsterdam. Director of Seabridge is the Danish woman Inger Lise Jepsen. And ConMore and Seabridge have the same stockholder: the Dutchman Fred de Borst, who is also connected to Tvinds furniture company Trayton in China. Both De Borst and Jepsen are listed living on the accommodation adress of their firms.
ConMore-representative Flemming Gustafsson, founder of the now bankrupt Tvind-company Textile Transformation EC Trading BV in which 500.000 guilders from Humana Holland disappeared in 2000, is often seen around and in the two houses in Maarn. The citizens in the street are not able to get in contact with their new Danish neighbours, who always say were just guests if someone tries to shake hands to get to know them. The Danes more likely seem to work very hard. You can see the colours of the computer-screens and lights shine the whole evening and often at night behind the closed curtains, a neighbour says, who wonders what is going on.
Despite this and many other known facts on Humana/Tvind, the Central Bureau for Fundraising (CBF) in Holland time after time declares that Humana Holland is a transparant organisation which benefits the poor in the Third World. It more likely looks as the weird world of both Humana and CBF.