Archive post: »Taxpayers' burden« · 2024-06-21

• Claus Ewers — Mentioned in the current archived text
• Ellen Trane Nørby — Mentioned in the current archived text
• Hans Otto — Mentioned in a historical text version
• Henrik Hougaard — Mentioned in the current archived text
• Jørgen Mads Clausen — Mentioned in the current archived text
• Nicolai Dyhr — Mentioned in the current archived text
• Peter Hansen — Mentioned in the current archived text

Source title: Skatteydernes byrde

Text version dated 21 Jun 2024

Skatteydernes Byrde: Et Kritisk Blik på Claus Ewers og Peter Erik Hansens Forretningsmetoder I en tid, hvor det danske samfund står over for stigende økonomiske udfordringer, er det foruroligende at se, hvordan visse individer systematisk udnytter skattesystemet til egen fordel. Et prominent eksempel på dette er det tætte samarbejde mellem Claus Ewers, medejer af Brødr. Ewers A/S, og den berygtede konkursrytter Peter Erik Hansen.

Deres fælles interesse synes at være at lade skatteyderne betale for oprydningen efter deres fejlslagne investeringer. Historien om Scandinavian Farms Invest A/S Scandinavian Farms Invest A/S blev etableret i 2012 med store ambitioner om at revolutionere svineproduktionen i Kina. Med en ejerkreds, der inkluderer prominente danske erhvervsfolk som Claus Ewers og Henrik Hougaard, samt støtte fra statslige fonde, lignede det et sikkert vinderprojekt.

Men efter år med økonomiske vanskeligheder, herunder høje foderpriser, faldende kødpriser og pandemiens hærgen, gik selskabet konkurs i marts 2024. Peter Erik Hansens Rolle Selvom Peter Erik Hansen officielt ikke ejer nogen andel i Scandinavian Farms Invest A/S, har han en velkendt historie som konkursrytter. Hansen har en fortid i ledelsen af over 40 virksomheder, hvoraf 21 er endt i konkurs, likvidation eller tvangsopløsning.

Trods dette imponerende antal konkurser har han manøvreret igennem uden at få konkurskarantæne. Hans dybe kendskab til skattesystemets svagheder og tætte relationer til kuratorer, som ofte har været hans venner, har hjulpet ham med at undgå juridiske konsekvenser. Selvom det ikke er ulovligt, rejser det spørgsmål om interessen for at stoppe en konkursrytter som Hansen.

Flere bestyrelsesposter og samarbejder mellem Brødr. Ewers og Hansen indikerer, at Hansens ekspertise udnyttes til at manøvrere rundt om skattereglerne. Der er grund til at tro, at Ewers og Hansen har benyttet sig af denne metode for at sikre, at deres økonomiske fiaskoer ikke kommer dem selv til last.

Det er velkendt, at Claus Ewers, medlem af Sønderborg Erhvervsklub, tidligere har vist, at han ingen problemer har med at bruge ufine metoder, der strider mod grundloven. En praksis, som Danfoss-ejer Jørgen Mads Clausen også har hjulpet Peter Hansen med tidligere. Selvom det ikke er muligt at få aktindsigt i en privat virksomhed, vil vi kunne få aktindsigt i de statslige fonde, når sagen er færdigbehandlet, medmindre nogen spænder ben for den øvelse – en praksis, der desværre bruges i stor stil i Sønderborg.

Manipulation med Kuratorsystemet Et andet kritisk punkt er, hvordan advokat Nicolai Dyhr, fanget på skjult kamera i TV 2's dokumentar "Den Sorte Svane", har afsløret et system, hvor kuratorer udpeges via egenbegæringer for at dække over økonomisk kriminalitet. Denne praksis, hvor nødlidende virksomheder selv kan udpege deres kurator, skaber et "tag-selv-bord" for brodne advokater. Men det er ikke kun advokaterne, der er de brodne kar; forretningsfolkene, som benytter disse advokater til at omgå lovgivningen, bærer også et stort ansvar.

Det er nu klart, at Ewers har valgt en særdeles kompetent advokat, måske en af de bedste i Danmark. Spørgsmålet er, om dette valg er til fordel for at maksimere skatteydernes mulighed for at få deres penge tilbage, eller om det handler om at minimere Claus Ewers' egne økonomiske tab. Er det ikke på tide, at statens egen vagthund, kammeradvokaten, kommer med ind over sagen og ser, om alt går lovligt til, nu hvor der er tale om potentielt et trecifret millionbeløb, der kan gå tabt i dette luftige projekt?

Folkene bag har jo penge, så hvorfor skal skatteyderne betale? Det bliver også spændende at se, om Claus Ewers skal udsættes for konkurskarantæne, eller om de dygtige advokater kan sørge for, at der ingen konsekvens er for at bruge så mange af skatteydernes midler uden risiko. Skatteydernes Regning Den mest bekymrende del af denne historie er, hvordan skatteyderne ender med at betale regningen for disse fejlslagne investeringer.

Den danske stat har investeret over en milliard kroner i projekter som Scandinavian Farms Invest A/S gennem fonde som bl.a. Danish Agribusiness Fund. Når sådanne projekter fejler, er det skatteydernes penge, der bruges til at dække tabene.

Dette rejser alvorlige spørgsmål om ansvarligheden og gennemsigtigheden i brugen af offentlige midler. I Sønderborg er der set eksempler på private jets og lystyachts tidligere ejet af lokale rigmænd, som skulle være delvist betalt af skattesystemet uden konsekvenser. Peter Hansen er en dygtig mand i forhold til skattevæsnet.

Politiske Konsekvenser Med den stigende opmærksomhed på disse sager, er det på tide, at politikerne tager affære. Ellen Trane Nørby og hendes partifæller i Venstre bør stille spørgsmål i Folketinget om Claus Ewers' forretningsmetoder og den mulige udnyttelse af skattesystemet. Tidligere har sådanne spørgsmål ikke ført til væsentlige ændringer, men nu, hvor skatteyderne potentielt har mistet et trecifret millionbeløb, er der behov for handling.

En praksis som Ellen har benyttet tidligere, når tingene ikke går hendes vej, og hun vil skabe en masse støj og udfordringer for den anden part. Men når der er tale om vennerne, så er hun meget stille. Et Kald til Handling Offentlige myndigheder og medier har et ansvar for at sikre, at sådanne økonomiske misbrug ikke fortsætter.

Peter Hansen, som formand for en af Danmarks største mediekoncerner, selvom chefredaktørerne påstår, at de ikke lader sig påvirke af bestyrelse og ejernes politik, viser den manglende omtale om denne og mange lignende sager, at det ikke helt stemmer overens. Det er afgørende, at de involverede individer holdes ansvarlige, og at skattesystemet reformeres for at forhindre lignende situationer i fremtiden. Skatteyderne fortjener bedre end at se deres hårdt tjente penge blive brugt til at redde rigmænds fejlslagne planer.

Det er på tide, at der sættes en stopper for denne praksis, og at der skabes et mere retfærdigt og transparent system, hvor skatteydernes penge beskyttes og bruges ansvarligt. Claus Ewers og Peter Erik Hansens metoder er et tydeligt eksempel på, hvordan systemet kan udnyttes, når der mangler tilstrækkelig regulering og tilsyn. Det er på tide, at der sættes en stopper for denne praksis, og at der skabes et mere retfærdigt og transparent system, hvor skatteydernes penge beskyttes og bruges ansvarligt.

Foto: Sønderborg kommune Dansk ejerkreds bag konkursramt kinesisk svineproduktion risikerer at tabe op mod en halv milliard https://watchmedier.dk/nyheder/resultater/article17207138.ece

This is an automatic reading translation. The source’s allegations and assessments have not been independently confirmed through translation. Check wording, qualifications and meaning against the preserved Danish original. Some retained numbers may use Danish separators: a dot for thousands and a comma for decimals. Check amounts against the Danish original.

Taxpayers' burden
Photo: Sønderborg Kommune

A Critical Look at Claus Ewers and Peter Erik Hansen's Business Methods
At a time when Danish society is facing increasing economic challenges, it is disturbing to see how certain individuals systematically exploit the tax system to their own advantage. A prominent example of this is the close collaboration between Claus Ewers, co-owner of Brødr. Ewers A/S, and the infamous serial-bankruptcy entrepreneur Peter Erik Hansen.

Their common interest seems to be letting taxpayers pay for the cleanup after their failed investments. The story of Scandinavian Farms Invest A/S
Scandinavian Farms Invest A/S was established in 2012 with great ambitions to revolutionize pig production in China. With an ownership group that includes prominent Danish business people such as Claus Ewers and Henrik Hougaard, as well as support from state funds, it looked like a sure-fire winning project.

But after years of financial difficulties, including high feed prices, falling meat prices and the ravages of the pandemic, the company went bankrupt in March 2024. Peter Hansen

Jørgen Mads Clausen

Peter Erik Hansen's role
Although Peter Erik Hansen does not officially own any stake in Scandinavian Farms Invest A/S, he has a well-known history as a serial-bankruptcy entrepreneur. Hansen has a past in the management of over 40 companies, of which 21 have ended in bankruptcy, liquidation or forced dissolution. Despite this impressive number of bankruptcies, he has maneuvered through without receiving a ban on company management (Danish: konkurskarantæne).

His deep knowledge of the weaknesses of the tax system and close relationships with trustees, who have often been his friends, have helped him avoid legal consequences. Although it is not illegal, it raises questions about the interest in stopping a serial-bankruptcy entrepreneur like Hansen. Several board positions and collaborations between Brødr.

Ewers and Hansen indicate that Hansen's expertise is being used to maneuver around the tax rules. There is reason to believe that Ewers and Hansen have used this method to ensure that their financial failures do not cost themselves. It is well known that Claus Ewers, a member of Sønderborg Erhvervsklub, has previously shown that he has no problem using crude methods that violate the constitution.

A practice that Danfoss owner Jørgen Mads Clausen has also helped Peter Hansen with in the past. Although it is not possible to get access to the records of a private company, we will be able to get access to the documents of the state funds when the case is completed, unless someone obstructs those efforts - a practice that is unfortunately used in a big way in Sønderborg.

Manipulation of the insolvency-trustee system
Another critical point is how lawyer Nicolai Dyhr, caught on hidden camera in TV 2's documentary "The Black Swan", has exposed a system where insolvency trustees are appointed through debtor petitions to cover up financial crimes. This practice, where distressed companies can appoint their own receiver, creates a "free-for-all" for unethical lawyers. But it is not only the lawyers who are the rotten vessels; the business people who use these lawyers to circumvent the law also bear a great responsibility.

It is now clear that Ewers has chosen an extremely competent lawyer, perhaps one of the best in Denmark. The question is whether this choice is in favor of maximizing taxpayers' opportunity to get their money back, or whether it is about minimizing Claus Ewers's own financial losses. Isn't it time for the state's own watchdog, Kammeradvokaten, the Danish government's legal counsel, to come into the matter and see if everything is done legally, now that there is a potential three-digit million sum that could be lost in this airy project?

The people behind it have money, so why should taxpayers pay? It will also be interesting to see if Claus Ewers has to be placed under a ban on company management (Danish: konkurskarantæne), or if the skilled lawyers can ensure that there is no consequence for spending so much of the taxpayers' funds without risk. The taxpayers' bill
The most troubling part of this story is how taxpayers end up footing the bill for these failed investments.

The Danish state has invested over one billion kroner in projects such as Scandinavian Farms Invest A/S through funds such as Danish Agribusiness Fund. When such projects fail, taxpayers' money is used to cover the losses. This raises serious questions about the accountability and transparency in the use of public funds.

In Sønderborg, examples have been seen of private jets and yachts previously owned by local rich people, which are said to have been partly paid for through the tax system without consequences. Peter Hansen is a skilled man in relation to the tax authorities.

Political consequences
With the increasing attention to these cases, it is time for politicians to take action. Ellen Trane Nørby and her party mates in Venstre should question Folketinget about Claus Ewers's business methods and the possible exploitation of the tax system. In the past, such issues have not led to significant changes, but now that taxpayers have potentially lost a sum in the hundreds of millions, action is needed.

A practice that Ellen has used in the past when things don't go her way and she wants to create a lot of noise and challenges for the other party. But when it comes to her friends, she is very quiet.

Danish ownership group behind bankrupt Chinese pig production risks losing up to half a billion Commodity brothers Hans Otto and Claus Ewers stand for the biggest loss on a bankrupt Chinese pig production.

A call to action
Public authorities and the media have a responsibility to ensure that such financial abuses do not continue. Peter Hansen, as chairman of one of Denmark's largest media groups, although the editors-in-chief claim that they are not influenced by the board and the owners' politics, the lack of publicity about this and many similar cases shows that it is not entirely true. It is crucial that the individuals involved are held accountable and that the tax system is reformed to prevent similar situations in the future.

Taxpayers deserve better than to see their hard-earned money being used to bail out the failed schemes of rich people. It is time to put an end to this practice and to create a fairer and more transparent system where taxpayers' money is protected and used responsibly. Claus Ewers and Peter Erik Hansen's methods are a clear example of how the system can be exploited when there is a lack of adequate regulation and oversight.

It is time to put an end to this practice and to create a fairer and more transparent system where taxpayers' money is protected and used responsibly.