AMSTERDAM BROTHELS HAVE TO CLOSE AT 10 P.M.

AMSTERDAM, 21/07/11 - The brothels in the famous Amsterdam Red Light district De Wallen must in future be closed after 10.00 p.m. The sex business owners have lost their appeal against the decision of the city council to introduce the closing times.

For 40 years, it was tolerated that brothels, peep shows and sex shops in the Red Light district could stay open until 2.00 a.m. At the beginning of the current year, however, the city council decided that the Shop Opening Times Act had to be enforced ant all sex shops had to close at 10.00 p.m.

Fourteen owners of 23 sex shops brought a case against the city council, but saw their argument rejected. "With the appeal court ruling the collective route is now closed. Individually, a business can however still look and see if it is possible to remain open for longer," said lawyer Rob IJsendijk.

In Alkmaar, north of Amsterdam, 92 prostitute windows have to close permanently. They are all owned by businessman Koos Nool. The Council of State ruled yesterday that Mayor Piet Bruinooge correctly refused him a new operating licence in 2008.

Bruinooge made the decision after an investigation into Nool's past. He apparently bought prostitution properties with criminal money. Among other things, part of the ransom paid to the kidnappers of Freddy Heineken, the then CEO of the brewery giant was said to have been used for this.

A lower court ruled in 2009 that there were insufficient grounds for refusing Nool the licence. The Council of State sees this differently. Nool now has to close the brothels within six weeks.