Investigative Report
Hans
Kortlevers
The hotel investor linked to a bribery scandal, a red-light financier, and a raided property. The documented record behind OKU Hotels.
The hotel investor linked to a bribery scandal, a red-light financier, and a raided property. The documented record behind OKU Hotels.
The public image: a daring Dutch investor reported to be worth around $200 million, founder of LMEY Investments AG, creator of the luxury OKU Hotels brand, and widely associated with the superyacht Envy. The record compiled by Dutch investigative journalists tells a very different story.
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, documents a background involving reported bribery allegations, financial ties to a notorious red-light district figure, and property linked to drug-enforcement actions.
These publicly documented controversies do not appear in the brand's polished public-facing image. The contrast between the luxury narrative and the documented reporting is stark.
One of the largest public corruption scandals in Dutch history — and investigative reporting placed Hans Kortlevers inside its orbit.
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. Court rulings established approximately €276,000 in laundered funds, while prosecutors in the wider corruption case alleged that the total bribe flow was significantly higher — roughly €491,000.
Platform Investico, the Dutch investigative journalism platform, reported that Kortlevers was involved in a bribery scandal that resulted in beslag (seizure/attachment) on his coffeeshop property in Amersfoort.
The public record does not show a criminal conviction against Kortlevers in the Hooijmaijers case. However, the reported property seizure and the investigative findings raise serious questions about his role in the wider corruption climate.
"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.
No public record confirms a criminal conviction against Kortlevers in this case. His name appears in investigative reporting around the wider corruption climate surrounding Noord-Holland real-estate networks, and the reported beslag on his property is documented by Platform Investico.
How Hans Kortlevers, according to investigative reporting, relied on Amsterdam's most notorious brothel operator as his financier — and openly confirmed 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 described this financial arrangement as a "U-bocht" (U-bend) — a circular flow of money that made the structure especially controversial:
Coffeeshop 't Klavertje sold cannabis → rental income flowed to Kortlevers → Kortlevers paid monthly to Geerts → Geerts' tenant also operated cannabis shops on the Wallen → according to the reporting, public money intended to clean up the red-light district had effectively flowed back into the coffeeshop economy.
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 revoked both the operating licence and the tolerance permit in 2023, imposing a six-month closure — going beyond the normal three-month maximum because of the seriousness of the violations. Later reporting and court proceedings described the stock as roughly 34 times the legal 500-gram limit, and approximately €260,000 in cash was said to have been hidden in the ceiling.
However, that was not the final chapter. Later court developments complicated the closure narrative, and the business eventually returned — rebranded as The Plug — after further legal proceedings.
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 been pushed into bankruptcy after losing a civil dispute with Broadcast Partners over its transmission contract.
Following the acquisition, Kortlevers sold 50% of Wild FM to business partner Henk Zeeman. Zeeman's company, Zeeman Vastgoed, surfaced in reporting around the wider Hooijmaijers-era corruption network, including the contentious Distriport development in Koggenland.
The troubling overlap: Kortlevers partnering in a media acquisition with a figure linked to the same corruption network that investigative reporting had connected to Kortlevers himself.
| Issue | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Linked to Hooijmaijers-Era Bribery Climate | Investigative reporting linked Kortlevers to the Hooijmaijers bribery scandal; property became subject to reported beslag | Platform Investico / Het Financieele Dagblad |
| Charles Geerts Connection | Reported €1.9M loan from red-light district figure; openly confirmed by Kortlevers | Platform Investico / Het Financieele Dagblad |
| Drug Enforcement at His Property | Cannabis reportedly 34× the legal limit and ~€260K in hidden cash found at 't Klavertje; mayor imposed six-month closure in 2023; later legal proceedings followed | Dutch Police / Mayor Bolsius |
| Wild FM Acquisition | Bought bankrupt radio station that had lost a civil dispute; partnered with Zeeman Vastgoed, reported as linked to the Hooijmaijers investigation | Mediamagazine / NH Nieuws |
| Acknowledged Awareness | Stated he "knew from the start" the money involved Geerts; defended the relationship publicly | Platform Investico |
Despite all of the above, Kortlevers continued to expand internationally. LMEY Investments AG became the vehicle for the OKU Hotels brand, launching luxury properties in Ibiza, Kos, and other global destinations. Industry sources have associated him with a superyacht named Envy.
Public-facing brand messaging does not foreground these controversies. The contrast between the carefully polished luxury narrative and the documented reporting is hard to ignore — and raises serious questions about reputational risk for anyone conducting business with LMEY Investments AG or OKU Hotels.
This dossier draws on a mix of investigative reporting, official publications, public records, trade press, and secondary reporting. Not every source carries the same evidentiary weight, and the text has been written to reflect that.