Arveladze and Van Os released on Wednesday night

01 June: Ajax striker Shota Arveladze, treasurer Arie van Os and former general manager Maarten Oldenhof were all released on Wednesay night. The three has been in custody for almost three days, due to the investigation of two transfers involving Ajax, executed by the Dutch Fiscal Investigation Department (FIOD).

FIOD raided Ajax' offices at the ArenA on Monday morning, accusing Ajax of irregularities in the events of the transfers of Michael Laudrup (from Vissel Kobe, Japan, to Ajax) and Shota Arveladze (from Trabzonspor, Turkey, to Ajax). According to FIOD Ajax paid both a percentage of their respective transfer fees to the players themselves and their managers (so-called 'signing money'), without deeming those payments as salary in the books. Ajax is under suspicion of having paid over five million guilders less taxes than they should have.

As Arie van Os' was let go late in the afternoon, his lawyer stated that the Ajax treasurer is "upset" about the interrogation. He wants to spend time at home, with his family, and does not wish to talk to the media right now. Later that night, at 8:00 PM, Shota Arveladze was released as well. Ajax.nl reports that he is doing fine and seems to be "as happy as ever". He will probably join the Georgia national team to play Italy on Saturday.

Three more people were interrogated and released on Wednesday: former general manager of Ajax, Maarten Oldenhof and John Peek, former chairman of NAC Breda. That club was raided by FIOD as well. NAC is under suspicion of similar irregularities in the event of the transfer of Archil Arveladze, Shota's twin brother, from Trabzonspor to the Breda club.

In the event of their 1997 transfer to Holland, the Georgian twin brothers were represented by Croatian personal manager, Ivan Benes. His office in Copenhagen, Denmark, was raided as well. According to Benes, Ajax paid three million guilders to Dinamo Tbilisi, the Georgian club which loaned Arveladze out to Trabzonspor. His salary in Amsterdam is two million guilders a year, according to Benes, who denies being a part of the fraud: "Everything went through our bank. Everything's decent."

The personal manager of Michael Laudrup, Bayram Tutumlu, will be interrogated as well. He is a Turk of Spanish origin, running an office in Barcelona, Spain. The Dutch Public Prosecutor regards Tutumlu as an "important involved party" in the case. Tutumlu told nespaper de Volkskrant: "Ajax paid all taxes. Laudrup doesn't have to worry." However, anonymous sources from inside the world of football described Tutumlu as "ruthless" and "dubious," claiming 15% of the agreed annual salary of each player transferred after his negotiations.

The identity of the fifth person taken into custody by FIOD remained unrevealed until he was released on Wednesday. It turned out to be Rezah Arveladze, older brother of Shota and Archil, playing for Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia and occasionally performing as spokesman and personal manager of his younger brothers. (MP)

Source: de Volkskrant and Ajax.nl