Dutch criminal law scholars express
Big criticism about Aruban investigation in the case of Natalee Holloway
DIARIO Aruba
4/6/2006

ORANJESTAD(AAN): Dutch criminal law experts recently expressed big criticism about the Aruban police investigation into the disappearance of Natalee Holloway
They call the investigation methods strange and unprofessional. They expressed much criticism as well about Commissioner Gerold Dompig’s behavior.

“It is incomprehensible that police, after an important tip about the location of Natalee Holloway’s body, to not go search immediately.”

This is according to a criminal law scholar of the University of Amsterdam, Menno Dolman.

The place in the dunes where they searched last week was left alone for long weeks, which could have made that important tips be lost.

It was a month after that an anonymous man called Dompig in tears with information about where the body of Natalee was buried, that authorities sprung into action.

“This is very strange”, according to a legal psychologist, Peter van Koppen. “Normally the area is closed off immediately, to dig and search for clues, but not in Aruba”.

Before police started to search, Dompig spoke openly with the press about new clues and another search which was on the way.

“Total madness”, according to a criminal law expert of the University of Leiden, Hans Nijboer. “This is a total error”.

According to Nijboer it is against all principles and illogical to bring forth details of the tips, before starting the search. Competent investigators investigate the case.

“The media is the last option for investigators”, according to Dolman. “You do not give out information that only the guilty could know.

If this happens, then it becomes very troublesome to know if the details in the declarations are authentic or if the person read this in the newspapers”.

According to the Dutch article, Dompig does not appear worried about these details. He gave details of the case easily to the press. However, the facts and the theories of which he spoke, contradict each other.

He said that he believes that Natalee perished due to an overdose of a combination of alcohol and drugs, that she consumed on the night of her disappearance.

However, in an interview with a Dutch newspaper, he said that he believes that Natalee lost her life as a victim of a criminal act (rape and murder).

According to Dolman, these two versions contradict each other. Dolman suspects that Dompig did this to keep the media at bay.

According to van Koppen, perhaps this is an investigation tactic on the part of Dompig, where he is now tapping the suspects’ conversation along with their friends and families, in order to catch something perhaps during a telephone conversation. Dolman doesn’t believe in a tactical action of such magnitude. According to Dolma, this is done for a stalled case.