On 10 June 2025, European Fund Recovery Initiative (EFRI) formally submitted a disciplinary complaint to the Haagse Orde van Advocaten, the local Bar Association for The Hague, against the Dutch law firm BarentsKrans and its partner Mr. William Schonewille.
This action follows the events previously described in our earlier publications:
We have now taken the next formal step toward accountability by filing a structured complaint with the professional disciplinary body for Dutch lawyers.
What we have submitted:
EFRI has provided the Bar with two main documents:
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A detailed complaint letter outlining specific breaches of professional duty, including:
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Concealed conflict of interest,
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Procedural mismanagement,
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Misrepresentation before the court,
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Sudden mandate termination without transition,
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Improper invoicing practices.
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A comprehensive timeline documenting the most critical developments in the engagement between EFRI and BarentsKrans from March to June 2025.
You can review both documents here:
° Timeline of Key Developments (PDF)
° Disciplinary Complaint Letter (PDF)
Why this Matters?
More than 600 fraud victims were left without representation just days before a critical appeal deadline, due to the abrupt and unexplained withdrawal of BarentsKrans. As a result, the appeal collapsed — not due to lack of merit, but because of professional misconduct.
What comes next?
The Bar Association will now assess our complaint and determine whether to initiate disciplinary proceedings. EFRI will continue to:
Document the fallout of this failure,
Pursue legal accountability for the harm done,
Prepare new proceedings against Payvision and ING — fully resourced and structurally corrected.
Transparency is at the heart of EFRI’s mission. We share these documents to uphold that principle and to ensure that no victim group must experience what ours has endured.
Our advice to other victims of fraud, based on our experience with William Schonewille and BarentsKrans:
Be cautious—even when dealing with so-called “reputable” law firms. If you ever sense that someone is being evasive or manipulative (as I did several times in my conversations with Mr. Schonewille, though I ignored it), trust your instincts—and walk away.
Note: In the email dated 15 May (as shown in the image), we asked for deliverables – three hours later Schonewille terminated the engagement.
