Overview
- Joseph Leijdekkers, 71, heard prosecutors request seven months in prison on Wednesday for allegedly laundering a €110,000 Patek Philippe, with the court planning a verdict on May 20.
- Investigators point to an Antwerp jeweler, intercepted chats saying the Patek was "for dad," and a January 2023 home search that found other watches, cash and a signal jammer.
- The father denies getting the watch from his son and says he swapped it in Dubai, while defense lawyers say police used the family as bait and ran intrusive surveillance including taps, a vehicle bug, cell data and a device hidden behind a dishwasher.
- Hearings for the mother and sister were postponed after the mother’s lawyer withdrew, and the court will set new dates as both women also face laundering counts tied to a Dubai apartment, two Bentleys, designer bags and gold.
- Jos "Bolle Jos" Leijdekkers remains on Dutch and EU wanted lists after a 24-year sentence in absentia, and a recent Spanish cocaine seizure at sea was linked to his network in media reports citing investigators.