Amsterdam’s most notorious brothel, Yab Yum, should be closed down because it is owned by Hells Angels who used blackmail to take it over, city council officials claimed in court on Thursday.

The council refused to renew the brothel’s operating licence last year but until now has refused to say on what grounds it made the decision.
The council’s lawyers told the court in Amsterdam on Thursday that they suspect current owner Hennie Vittali of being a front-man for the motorbike gang. They say that Vittali’s takeover of the club in 1999 followed blackmail and threats by the Hell’s Angels.
The club on Amsterdam’s prestigious Singel canal changed hands for €1.8m although the market price was put at €9m, the city council says.
But Yab Yum’s lawyer Rob IJsendijk told the court that the council’s case was based on assumptions which were not backed up by facts.
The court will rule within a few days on whether to overturn the council’s decision not to extend the club’s operating licence, news agency ANP reported.