Unibet Arrest Causes Uproar in the EU

Looks like the Dutch are taking a cue from the Bush administration and rounding up “evil” gambling moguls at the airport. On Tuesday, Dutch authorities arrested Unibet CEO Petter Nylander as he boarded a plane in Holland to head home to the UK. He was detained on a French warrant.

ARREST WARRANT

The warrant was from 2006 and it concerned the French Lottery Authorities’ claim that Unibet was in violation of French law protecting lotteries and horse racing. The laws cited have been on the books for over 100 years.

ANARCHY IN THE EU

The arrest has caused a great deal of outrage throughout the European Union. In recent years, both EU and French courts have ruled businesses not in violation of the laws. In fact, they have often additionally ruled that the law goes against the EU treaty.

But the French just eat the pastries, bang their mistresses, and call the arrest “perfectly normal.”

As you can imagine, the acting CEO of Unibet, Ragnar Hellenius (great name for a movie villain), was more than a little pissed. He said, “This situation is clearly unacceptable and extraordinary in ours and in any industry. It is our view that this use of the possibility for cross-border legal actions is a clear abuse of their true aim, and in all aspects, disproportionate. Unibet is licensed in the UK, Malta and Italy for gambling, listed on the OMX Nordic Stock Exchange and a company complying with European law.

This is clearly a breach of the EU Treaty and the fundamental principles of the European Union. We are upset of this unlawful act and harassment against our company and a citizen of Europe and we will take every action possible to bring this matter to justice. This criminalization of a specific individual is a tactic that we have seen French authorities using before and something we will not tolerate. We take for granted that Petter Nylander will be released immediately.”

Still, I bet Ragnar won’t be setting foot in Holland anytime soon..

THOSE DAMNED FRENCH

So far, Nylander has not been charged with anything, and he is awaiting further word on his status. In other words, he’s simply being held indefinitely. Here’s hoping that he gets out before the French brainwash him and turn him into one of those crazy street performers you see outside of Notre Dame Cathedral.

And people wonder why Calvin Ayre of Bodog never ventures to the U.S.
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Unibet Arrest Causes Uproar in the EU