The financial services watchdog AFM has begun an investigation into possible illegal trading in stocks and shares through Turkish mosques and coffee shops in the Netherlands. Today’s Volkskrant quotes a report by a Turkish parliamentary commission – and a series of judgements by courts in Germany and Switzerland – which show that at least 400,000 Turkish migrants in the Netherlands and other countries have been defrauded of a minimum of €5bn.

The money has since disappeared, the paper said. At the heart of the swindle, the paper says, seem to be the mosques of the Turkish organisation Milli Görüs, which is involved in the building of the controversial Wester mosque in the Amsterdam borough of Baarsjes.
The Noord Nederlands division of Milli Görüs, has denied the accusations, saying it had played no role whatsoever in encouraging people to invest in the share schemes. The organisation told ANP it is considering taking legal action against the Volkskrant.
Meanwhile, Christian Democrat (CDA) MPs are writing to justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin for clarification about Turks who have invested in such investment funds in Amsterdam.