Former top Dutch banker found dead with wife, daughter

USPA News - A Dutch former top banker who was criticized for taking a large pay-off after the nationalization of his troubled bank in 2008 was found dead on Saturday along with his wife and daughter, police said, calling it a "family tragedy." Officers were called to a residence in the wealthy town of Laren, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) southeast of Amsterdam, after being alerted at around 10:30 a.m. local time by a family friend who suspected something had happened.

Police discovered three bodies inside the house. The deceased were identified as 57-year-old Jan Peter Schmittmann, his 57-year-old wife, and their 22-year-old daughter. "The family consisted of four people, the other daughter in the family was not at home," a police spokesperson said. "She was later told of this sad news by officers." Officers remained at the scene throughout the day, with investigators describing the incident as a "family tragedy," a reference typically used to describe a murder-suicide. "The police have been carrying out technical and tactical investigations throughout the day to determine what took place inside the residence," the spokesperson said. "The preliminary investigation indicates this was a family tragedy." Schmittmann served as Senior Executive Vice President at Dutch bank ABN Amro between October 2003 and November 2007, when he was appointed a Managing Board member and became responsible for the bank`s domestic operations as the head of Business Unit Netherlands. But after the bank`s collapse and subsequent nationalization, Schmittmann was forced to leave and stepped down in December 2008. He was contractually due an 18 million euros ($24.6 million) termination payment but went to court after the bank refused to pay more than 2.4 million euros ($3.2 million). The judge eventually ruled in favor of Schmittmann, forcing the bank to pay him 8 million euros ($10.9 million), making it the bank`s biggest ever termination payment. Then-finance minister Wouter Bos described the termination payment as "exorbitant." Schmittmann called Bos` reaction "unsavory." After leaving ABN Amro, Schmittmann founded 5 Park Lane to advise businesses.