When you buy or sell something, you may be asked to answer questions.
For instance when you buy a house.
But also if you want to start a business...
or open a bank account.
Or when you sell a gold bracelet to a jeweller.
That can feel awkward.
Or even unnecessary.
But these questions are very important.
The Netherlands has a strong financial system that we all use.
Billions of euros move through it every day...
so it has to be reliable.
Unfortunately, some people misuse this system to launder criminal money.
Criminals buy houses using money...
they earned from fraud or drugs.
Then they set up drug labs in those houses, or use them as a base for selling stolen goods.
In other words, they use the system...
to expand their activities and launder the proceeds of their crimes.
This not only affects the property market.
It also makes neighbourhoods unsafe.
Criminals may launder money...
and use it to commit new crimes...
or even to finance terrorism.
To prevent this, financial institutions and professionals...
such as banks, lawyers, estate agents and civil-law notaries...
are legally required to know who their clients are...
and how they obtained their money or goods.
They are the gatekeepers of our financial system.
And they do their best to keep criminal money out of the system.
That's why a notary will ask questions...
if someone receives a gift of €30,000 to buy a house.
and why a jeweller may ask where a piece of jewellery came from.
It’s not because they don’t trust people.
It’s because this helps make the Netherlands safer.
And ensures we can continue to trust our financial system.
These checks not only protect the system...
but also our society as a whole.
For more information.
Visit...
www.government.nl/customer/due-diligence-by-gatekeepers