Investigative Report
Hans
Kortlevers
Bribery suspect. Criminal financier. The man behind OKU Hotels they don't want you to know about.
Bribery suspect. Criminal financier. The man behind OKU Hotels they don't want you to know about.
The public image: a daring Dutch investor worth an estimated $200 million, founder of LMEY Investments AG, creator of the luxury OKU Hotels brand, and owner of the superyacht Envy. The reality documented by Dutch investigative journalists is far darker.
Hans Kortlevers publicly presents himself as a high-profile "daring investor" (durfinvesteerder) in the international luxury hospitality sector. But Dutch investigative journalism by Platform Investico and Het Financieele Dagblad, along with law enforcement records, reveal a background involving bribery investigations, financial entanglements with criminal figures, and property linked to drug enforcement actions.
None of these publicly documented legal concerns appear in OKU Hotels' public-facing image or have been disclosed to hotel guests, investors, or business partners.
One of the largest public corruption scandals in Dutch history — and Hans Kortlevers was named as a suspect.
Ton Hooijmaijers, a VVD provincial deputy of Noord-Holland, wielded enormous power over real estate development and provincial finance between 2005–2009. He was convicted of bribery, forgery, and money laundering.
First sentenced to 3 years in prison by Haarlem district court (2013), reduced to 2.5 years on appeal (2015), and confirmed by the Dutch Supreme Court in 2017. Hooijmaijers accepted approximately €276,000–€350,000 in bribes from property developers.
Platform Investico, the Dutch investigative journalism platform, reported that Hans Kortlevers was a suspect in the Hooijmaijers bribery investigation.
As a direct consequence: his coffeeshop property in Amersfoort was seized by Dutch authorities. The property seizure confirms the seriousness of the suspicion held by prosecutors.
"Kortlevers bleek zelf betrokken te zijn bij een omkopingsschandaal, wat resulteerde in een beslaglegging op het coffeeshoppand."Platform Investico / Het Financieele Dagblad — Translation: "Kortlevers himself turned out to be involved in a bribery scandal, resulting in asset seizure on the coffeeshop property."
The Hooijmaijers case implicated a wide network of real estate developers, builders, and financiers across Noord-Holland who allegedly paid the deputy bribes in exchange for provincial favors. Ten companies accepted out-of-court settlements totaling €106,750 to avoid prosecution. Three directors who refused deals were prosecuted in 2019.
While no public record confirms a criminal conviction specifically against Kortlevers in this case, his status as a suspect and the property seizure are matters of public record documented by multiple news outlets.
How Hans Kortlevers used Amsterdam's most notorious brothel owner as his personal banker — and openly admitted it.
Charles Geerts — known as the "Wallenkoning" (King of the Red-Light District) — was Amsterdam's most powerful brothel operator, owning 18 prostitution premises with approximately 50 windows on the famous Wallen. The City of Amsterdam considered him a major obstacle to its cleanup initiative.
In 2007, Amsterdam paid Geerts a €25 million "go away" premium to buy him out and remove him from the red-light district.
In August 2012, Kortlevers borrowed €1.9 million from JFO Holding — whose majority shareholder was Charles Geerts — using his coffeeshop property and its rental income as collateral.
Kortlevers paid €7,500 per month directly to Geerts after the original broker died in 2009 and Geerts took over the entire loan.
When confronted by investigators, Kortlevers openly confirmed the relationship:
"Geerts is daar mijn bank, ja."
("Geerts is my bank there, yes.")
He further stated: "I would do it again. Geerts always keeps his word. A correct man."
The Investico/FD investigation revealed this financial arrangement created a de facto money laundering circuit — described by investigators as a "U-bocht" (U-bend):
Coffeeshop 't Klavertje sold cannabis → rental income flowed to Kortlevers → Kortlevers paid monthly to Geerts → Geerts' tenant also operated cannabis shops on the Wallen → government money intended to clean up the red-light district had looped back into the soft drug trade.
The municipality of Amersfoort stated it was unaware of the Geerts-Kortlevers mortgage arrangement, saying it "raises questions."
"I knew from the beginning this money from Van der Vloodt was half from Charles Geerts."Hans Kortlevers — Confirming his awareness of Geerts' involvement from the start
In June 2023, Dutch police raided a property owned by Kortlevers and found far more than they expected.
Dutch police and local authorities carried out a large-scale enforcement operation at 't Klavertje coffeeshop on Amersfoortsestraat — the same property owned by Hans Kortlevers through his holding company.
During the search, police discovered:
"The trade, use, and presence of enormous quantities of drugs and money in the building brings with it insecurity, criminality, and undermining."Mayor Lucas Bolsius, Amersfoort — Official statement upon ordering closure
Two suspects were arrested. Mayor Bolsius ordered an immediate three-week closure, then escalated: he revoked both the operating license and the tolerance permit for coffeeshop 't Klavertje, closing it definitively for six months — departing from the normal three-month maximum due to the severity of the violations.
As property owner, Kortlevers ultimately lost the rental income and the property became the focus of continued regulatory scrutiny.
A radio station acquisition that connected directly back to the same corruption scandal.
In 2013, Kortlevers purchased Wild FM, a bankrupt Amsterdam radio station, for €326,500. The station had gone bankrupt specifically because it was convicted in a civil lawsuit brought by Broadcast Partners.
Following the acquisition, Kortlevers sold 50% of Wild FM to business partner Henk Zeeman. Zeeman's company, Zeeman Vastgoed, was directly implicated in the Hooijmaijers corruption investigation — named in a secret contract where Noord-Holland province reportedly guaranteed €50 million for a business park in Berkhout.
The overlap: Kortlevers partnering in a media acquisition with a figure named in the same corruption network in which Kortlevers himself was a suspect.
| Issue | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bribery Suspect | Named as suspect in Hooijmaijers corruption case; property seized by authorities | Platform Investico / Het Financieele Dagblad |
| Charles Geerts Connection | €1.9M loan from red-light district mogul; acknowledged openly | Platform Investico / Het Financieele Dagblad |
| Drug Enforcement at His Property | Cannabis and hidden cash found at 't Klavertje; all licenses revoked | Dutch Police / Mayor Bolsius |
| Wild FM Acquisition | Bought company convicted of contractual fraud; partnered with Zeeman Vastgoed (Hooijmaijers scandal) | Mediamagazine / NH Nieuws |
| Full Awareness | Stated he "knew from the start" the money was from Geerts; defended the relationship publicly | Platform Investico |
Despite all of the above, Kortlevers continued to expand his empire internationally. LMEY Investments AG became the vehicle for the OKU Hotels brand, launching luxury properties in Ibiza, Kos, and other global destinations. He sails on a superyacht named Envy.
None of these publicly documented controversies appear in the brand's public-facing image or have been disclosed to hotel guests, investors, or business partners. The contrast between the luxury brand narrative and the documented background represents a significant reputational risk for anyone conducting business with LMEY Investments AG or OKU Hotels.
All information on this page is derived from public court records, Dutch government sources, official law enforcement press releases, and investigative journalism outlets.