Rabobank has closed the accounts of a Dutch man who had been a customer for 40 years, after ruling that he no longer has sufficient ties with the Netherlands, the Telegraaf reported on Monday.

The man, a seafarer who has worked for a Dutch offshore company for 34 years, moved to Gibraltar in 2009 with his partner, who was added as a joint account holder in 2014. He has now taken his case to the financial complaints institute Kifid, saying he still feels strongly connected to the Netherlands.

Gibraltar has been classified by the European Commission as a “high-risk third country” because of concerns over money laundering and terrorist financing, although it is now scheduled to be removed from the list.

Rabobank said it repeatedly asked the couple for additional information before closing their current account, savings account and credit card in January this year.

The man works on a six-weeks-on, six-weeks-off rotation in Belgium, where he also pays taxes and social security contributions.

Although he no longer pays tax in the Netherlands, he said he regularly visits his parents, children and grandchild there, averaging five trips a year. He also keeps a Dutch mobile phone number and buys a Dutch state lottery ticket.

Living just 500 metres from the Spanish border, the couple often shop in Spain and need a euro account for daily use, the man told the Kifid. Gibraltar’s local currency is the Gibraltar pound.

Rabobank said it is required to carry out extra checks on customers in high-risk jurisdictions and concluded that the couple’s links to the Netherlands were not strong enough to justify keeping the accounts open.

The Kifid panel said it understood the couple’s wish to maintain their accounts, but ruled in the bank’s favour. The explanation given was “a clear and acceptable policy choice”, meaning Rabobank was entitled to close them, the complaints organisation said.