Last week, DR published an article stating that the Copenhagen District Court had detained Christopher Clausen, 47, head of the Danish Foreign Legion, on charges of fraud related to supporting Danes fighting in Ukraine. The organization had been working since the spring of 2022 to provide Danish fighters in Ukraine with emergency aid and equipment. According to the court document from the constitutional inquiry, the prosecutor stated that Clausen had previously been convicted of fraud. In December 2021, he received a two-year, six-month suspended sentence and was ordered to pay 3.4 million Danish kroner in compensation. He was also barred from establishing businesses, serving as a director, or holding board positions for two years.
وجاء في الاتهام الجديد أن كريستوفر كلاوسن قد “تسبب في أوهام أو شجع أو استغل الضلال من جانب المتضررين” فيما يتعلق بعمله التطوعي كرئيس للرابطة، كما جاء في الاتهام، وبحسب الشرطة فقد وقعت الحالات بين 8 مارس/آذار 2022 و 10 أكتوبر/تشرين الأول 2022، ورئيس الجمعية متهم بالاحتيال ضد 15 شخصاً.
Reports filed with the police for non-delivery of equipment
The source stated before the end of last year that several people reported the head of the association to the police, one of whom was a customer who paid 15,300 Danish kroner to the association to buy three jackets and three helmets and wanted to send them himself to the Danish fighters in Ukraine, but he did not receive the equipment and did not get his money back despite countless reminders, according to him.
According to the court document issued from Tuesday's constitutional hearing, Christopher Clausen acknowledged receiving payments but also said that many customers received what they paid for, and that the reason some people did not receive goods was that the volunteer work had become too tiring.
In another case, the association raised funds to support the return of the remains of a 25-year-old Dane who died in Ukraine at the end of last April.
But according to DR's information, the Dane's body has not been identified or buried in either Denmark or Ukraine. In the event of an excess amount during the collection, the funds should be allocated to the relatives of the deceased and should appear on the website of the collection committee that approved the collection work for the association, but the relatives have not received a single kroner from the association.
Where is the money raised by the association spent?
وأوضح كريستوفر كلاوسن في جلسة التحقيق أن الأموال التي جمعها وحصل عليها كرئيس للجمعية قد ذهبت إلى عمل الجمعية، بما في ذلك مصروف الجيب للجنود والمعدات التي يتم توزيعها على الدنماركيين المتطوعين للقتال في أوكرانيا، وبحسب كتاب المحكمة الخاص بالتحقيق الدستوري قال كريستوفر أن يمكنه توثيق كل ذلك على أساس الحسابات، ومع ذلك لم يرغب كريستوفر كلاوسن في تقديم الوثائق عندما أجرت DR مقابلة معه في ديسمبر/كانون الأول 2022، حيث سُئل عن كيفية استخدام أموال الجمعية: “لقد فعلوا كل شيء ممكن. لقد ذهبوا إلى أقاربهم، وللملابس وذهبوا إلى أشياء كثيرة. بعد كل شيء لم يذهبوا فقط إلى الأقارب، لقد ذهب المال إلى أشياء كثيرة”، وذكر بأنه يمكنه توثيق كل ذلك بسهولة ومع ذلك رفض إرسال الوثائق في البريد الإلكتروني إلى DR قائلاً أن “الأسماء التي لدينا والتي نتبرع بها ، أنت لا تعرف. إنه ببساطة لا يخطر ببالك”.
The court remanded Christopher Clausen in custody for 27 days.
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