Court of Justice Rejects Bouterse’s Latest Appeal Against Murder Conviction
PARAMARIBO, Surinam – The Court of Justice has rejected an appeal by ex-president Desi Bouterse and his four co-convicts that sought to suspend their lengthy jail terms after they had been convicted of murder.
The appeal of the five were declared inadmissible, which meant that it was not dealt with substantively by the Court.
In its judgment, the Court said that although the legal rules used to submit the notice of appeal offer citizens room to take action against the Public Prosecution Service, their scope is too limited to deal with the substantive handling of the complaint and the appeal was therefore rejected.
According to the Court, the relevant article of law was used as a supra appeal remedy and, in its opinion, this could not be possible in its application.
Bouterse, 78, whose whereabouts remains a mystery after he first failed to keep his scheduled appointment to report to the prison in Santo Boma just south of the capital Paramaribo, had been sentenced to 20 years in jail last December.
Three of the co-convicted retired soldiers, Ernst Gefferie, 81, Stephanus Dendoe 68 and Benny Brondenstein 68, all reported to prison.
Police in the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country have since launched a search for both Bouterse and Iwan Dijksteel, even as the main opposition National Democratic Party (NDC), which the former president heads, maintains that the trial was political and directed by The Netherlands.
The former military officers and civilians had been charged with the December 8, 1982, murders of the 15 men that included journalists, military officers, union leaders, lawyers, businessmen and university lecturers.
The prosecution had alleged that the men were arrested on the nights of December 7 and 8, and transferred to Fort Zeelandia, the then headquarters of the Surinamese National Army. They said the men were tortured and summarily executed.
During that period, Bouterse was in charge of the military junta that ruled the country after his successful coup on February 25, 1980.
Police in Suriname have since launched a search for both Bouterse and Dijksteel, even as the main opposition National Democratic Party (NDC), which the former president heads, maintains that the trial was political and directed by The Netherlands.
Wednesday’s ruling brings an end, the criminal case that lasted no less than 16 years.
Following the court ruling, the lawyers for the convicted men told reporters that they will study the verdict and then decide what to do next.
They insist that the “last word” in this drawn-out and controversial case has not yet been said.
Earlier this month, the International Police (INTERPOL) said it has placed Bouterse on its Red Notice list, nearly three months after he was sentenced.
He is on the INTERPOL list with a photo, his age and appearance description. A ‘Red Notice’ is an official request to law enforcement authorities worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action. It is based on an arrest or court order issued by the judicial authorities in the requesting country.
In January, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced that it was in the process of issuing an international arrest warrant for the former president after he failed for a second time to report to a local prison.
