Public Prosecution Service starts criminal investigation against entrepreneur Pieter Vos

The Public Prosecution Service starts a criminal investigation against Pieter Vos. As director of the Amsterdam software company Rodeo, he may have misled investors on a large scale. The Public Prosecution Service confirms this after one message in NRC.

The newspaper wrote last weekend how Vos managed to collect tens of millions from investors with false information about turnover, profit and the number of customers. He also did not pay all salaries.

His now bankrupt company Rodeo sold administration software aimed at entrepreneurs in the creative sector. To the outside world, Vos painted the image of an extremely successful company for which major investors were lining up. He was praised as an innovative entrepreneur.

Vos supported his story with extensive documentation that he produced himself. A major investor, the American billion-dollar fund PSG Equity, believed him and invested 60 million euros in the company.

Now it demands 67 million from Vos. To this end, the fund initiated civil proceedings at the court in Amsterdam.

The Public Prosecution Service says it cannot yet say what the suspicion is in the criminal investigation against Vos. The investigation will have to clarify whether there is sufficient reason to prosecute.

Investor PSG already reported fraud to the police last June, according to NRC. A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service says that the decision to initiate a criminal investigation was recently taken.

When asked, Pieter Vos told Autovantra that the Public Prosecution Service has not yet informed him of the criminal investigation.