IFAS

Institute for Scientific Research and Applied Science

1987-1994.

 

Tvind front organisation for money laundering purposes, according to Danish police.    Nominally, an independent research bureaux receiving grants from the Tvind Humanitarian Foundation, but  actually managed by Amdi Petersen, with no research projects, intended only to 'regularise payments'   -  in other words, money laundering.     There was no research and no real employees.

IFAS was founded in 1987 by four Danes, Lone Bjerre, Josefin Jonsson, Sten Hojstrom and Lars Fribert.    Jonsson, is a known TG member, and later became director of Planet Aid, California (1999) and director of Tvind's Central America programmes.

The organisation's aims are set out in a long winded rhetorical statement cited in the Danish police charges of 2001.

It received money from the Humanitarian Fund.   There were no outgoings because the 'employees' were TG members or volunteers (who receive no salary).   Payments in expenses were to the upkeep of the ship The Return of Marco Polo  -  a Tvind vessel (through the Cayman Islands company B&B Shipping).

Nobody was a qualified 'researcher'.   According to board member Anne Sophie Pederson, the board of IFAS  took instructions from Amdi Petersen.   Hans la Cour said Petersen 'invented the whole idea of IFAs, including name, logo, objects clause, and its connection with the Foundation'.

Liquidated in 1994 by Poul Jrgensen, apparently following a decision made at a meeting of Tvind management.

 

 

Board of directors        (all members of the TG)

Chair:  Birgitte Hector Nielsen

Deputy chair:  Anne Sophie Pederson

Birgitte Khron (to Oct 1993)

Christian Jacobsen (from Oct 1993)

Birgit Ring

Rikke Viholm

Research manager: Else Jensen

Board consultant: Thomas Vaeth