SAO PAULO, SP (UOL/FOLHAPRESS) – The Danish couple Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbæk, owners of the resort Stedsans, Sweden, abandoned the venture due to high debts, leaving behind not only tax obligations, but also waste and bug corpses.
Entrepreneurs left 158 barrels of human waste and animals killed on site. They closed the resort without notice due to the high tax debts with the government began to accumulate, until, by the end of 2024, the owners disappeared without trace.
Resort offered 16 wooden chalets in the woods. The proposal was to connect guests with nature, an option for those who sought to escape urban stress.
Investigations point out that the couple left Denmark to escape a millionaire tax debt. According to a report published by The Guardian, they moved to Sweden in 2016 and founded Stedsans, but also began to accumulate debts with the Swedish tax authorities, estimated at about 470,000 pounds (approximately 3.5 million reais).
On the former resort website, the owners explained the situation. “For over 8 years, we have worked to realize our view of a more beautiful future. We have come very far with the Stedsans, but we also had to realize, on the way, that being entrepreneurs motivated by souls on a mission in a country where taxes are among the highest in the world and bureaucracy is relentless is an impossible task. At least for us,” the statement says.
“We tried until the end to work. But finally, the debt of the early years, full of promises not fulfilled by the authorities and the 2 years with borders closed due to the pandemic, reached ourselves. When you read this, we were probably declared bankrupt by Swedish tax authorities.
Couple reappeared allegedly in Guatemala. The duo, who would have started a new venture in the country, used social networks to again present their version of the facts.
“We do not break any law. We do not run away. We do not let any animals die. We do not pollute. We fought for our rights against the tax system and, instead of losing the battle, we turn our backs to him. We are being falsely accused and used as click bait and for personal revenge,” said Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbæk on Instagram.
