Booking agency linked to Frank van Etten goes bankrupt
The court has declared Zero Bookings in Apeldoorn bankrupt over a €1.1m loan for a folk-singer tour that never happened, and a €252,000 tax debt.
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Illustrative photo: riannevanderwal / Pixabay Content LicenseThe district court has declared Zero Bookings, a booking agency in Apeldoorn linked to folk singer Frank van Etten, bankrupt. Two affiliated companies, Zero Records and Zero Handelsonderneming, were also declared bankrupt. Zero Bookings owes more than €1.1m to a lender and a further €252,000 to the tax office (Belastingdienst).
The bankruptcy was requested by a company that lent Zero Bookings more than €1.1m to organise a tour with folk singers. The tour never took place. Attempts to get the money back failed, so the lender applied for the bankruptcy.
Trustee (curator) Omri de Vries is investigating what happened and who rightfully owns Zero Bookings. Company records list Melanie van Etten, Frank van Etten's ex-wife, as the sole shareholder. The company has no director. Dormpel Holding is listed as its authorised representative.
Across the Netherlands, courts declared 275 businesses and institutions bankrupt in September 2026, adjusted for court days, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) figures show. That compares with 241 in September 2025. Monthly counts over the past year ranged from 220 in October 2025 to 284 in November 2025.
Bankruptcies stay between 220 and 284 a month
Bankruptcies a month · Sep 2025–Sep 2026
Bankruptcies stay between 220 and 284 a month (bankruptcies a month). From 241 in Sep 2025 to 275 in Sep 2026; highest 284 in Nov 2025, lowest 220 in Oct 2025. Source: CBS.
View data
| Item | Bankruptcies a month |
|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 241 |
| Oct 2025 | 220 |
| Nov 2025 | 284 |
| Dec 2025 | 236 |
| Jan 2026 | 236 |
| Feb 2026 | 276 |
| Mar 2026 | 265 |
| Apr 2026 | 269 |
| May 2026 | 257 |
| Jun 2026 | 260 |
| Jul 2026 | 228 |
| Aug 2026 | 274 |
| Sep 2026 | 275 |
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Follow the story: Belastingdienst
Belastingdienst
The Dutch Tax and Customs Administration is the Netherlands' government agency responsible for collecting taxes and levies such as income tax, VAT and payroll tax, and for customs duties. It also manages the tax accounts of individuals and businesses, including unpaid tax debts, which is why it often appears as a creditor when a company goes bankrupt.