Afrikaansche Handelsvereeniging controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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1879
Falsified accounts and financial collapse
AHV’s books had been falsified for years and the business relied on secret loans from the Rotterdamsche Handelsvereeniging. When the deception became public in May 1879, the company collapsed with reported debts of approximately 9.5 million guilders. Pincoffs fled abroad, Kerdijk was arrested in Antwerp, and both partners were later convicted of forgery and fraud.
1879
Use of enslaved labor in Congo operations
Employee Onno Zwier van Sandick reported that several hundred enslaved people worked at AHV factories in the Congo and that some were held with chains and collars.