Editorial: Tacopina and his ‘model’ client
DIARIO Aruba
4/26/2006

Yesterday, I heard Tacopina again on Court TV, and it seems to me that instead of telling his client to speak the truth, it seems like his client educated him on how to tell lies. It’s not my intention to maintain a personal debate with that lawyer, but to correct what he incorrectly says. I have nothing personal in this matter, this is a case that has to be solved on the basis of the truth of what happened with Natalee.

Tacopina accused me of ‘leaking’ the documents, as if he turned into a gypsy who in his crystal ball can look into the past, present and future. No, Tacopina, at DIARIO we were the last to receive the ton of documents we are now analyzing. He also accused me of ‘fabricating’ witnesses (the dump witness, the gardener), while it was an American former secret service agent who discovered them and brought them to police, not me! His three lies (only yesterday!) were that I have something personal against Paulus, because of his involvement (?) in the case of some family member of mine. Nothing could be further from the truth, because when the case broke, I was not aware of Paulus’s activities; not me, nor the majority of the Aruban people.

I understand why Tacopina has to try to divert attention from his client and focus only on what’s good about him (of course he has good things and bad things). That Joran is a good student? Without a dount. That he’s a good athlete? Completely correct. That he would not go as far as to do anything bad? False! That he is a good kid, a rolemodel? False!

Tacopina must be used to American scare-tactics against people who stand in his way to impose the ‘sanctity’ of his client, but he is completely mistaken about me! He does not intimidate me and he’s not going to muzzle my mouth either. What I know to be the truth about the case, I will continue to put forward, whether he likes it or not.

What I don’t like about the interviews I have done on some channels is that they ALWAYS give Tacopina the last word. Why? How come I never get this opportunity and it is in this column that I have to rebut? I respect Tacopina’s duty to defend his client; I have consideration for his intent to whitewash, but not at my expense. And, like I said at the beginning, I’m not going to sustain a debate with him, because it doesn’t interest me and it won’t bring anything to solve the case either. We have to keep to concrete facts and not try to divert away from them trying (as he is doing) to defame the ones who can bring the truth forward.

Tacopina has a problem with the witnesses his compatriot brought forward? Let him deal with him, not with me. Further, the gardener’s testimony stands as valid and concrete to this day. He confirmed this in front of a judge. He passed a lie detector test successfully! Nothing of what he has said has been contradicted with solid proof to this day. We discarded the dump witness ourselves because he didn’t pass the lie detector test.

Now Tacopina wants to use his other tactic, that of ‘intimidation’, threatening that he will sue all those who ‘speak badly’ of his client! Well, let him prepare as many cases as he wants, they will not force us to ‘speak well’ of his client in the least. When Joran himself gives a categorical demonstration that he wants to start speaking the truth, we will change our opinion of him. To this day, there’s a concrete fact that neither Tacopina nor all the tactics he may use can change: it was in Joran’s company that Natalee disappeared! No one knows to this day how Joran got home in those early morning hours! He said that Deepak or Satish came to pick him up at the beach, but both of them categorically deny doing this. This is also on the tape! It could be that Tacopina comes forward with a rational explanation about his return home from the beach, Or was he not at the beach with Natalee?

When Deepak said to Joran that if they find the girl he will be locked up for 15 years, he wasn’t referring to a minor infraction punishment! In Aruba, the only crime for which you would normally get such a high and severe sentence is murder! As far as I know, there is no other legal infraction that would earn such a high prison sentence.

The day when Joran tells us exactly what happened to Natalee, I will change my opinion of him; in the meantime, it continues to be as negative as usual, without any concern for Tacopina’s threats. I don’t frequent the market where you can buy cheap phrases such as ‘he left her alone on the beach’ or ‘the girl wasn’t feeling well and wanted to be alone’. One wouldn’t even leave a dog on its own under these conditions; remember that it was a human being! And I am not willing to buy the story that Joran ‘left Natalee at the Holiday Inn’ either or that they ‘went with her to ‘see sharks’ behind the lighthouse’ (who goes to see sharks at this time of night, and in a place where these creatures don’t even usually go?); at least lie to us that it was Boca Mahos, a place where sharks go, not behind the lighthouse!

And what happened to the VCB t-shirt (uniform) from more than 10 months ago? I heard Tacopina say that the found important forensic information on it! The truth is that there was no forensic evidence found on the t-shirt, not even old traces of blood. Why they came up with this story, I don’t know, but it does not fit with the truth of what we know about the case.

I hope with all my heart that Joran is innocent, for his own well-being and that of his family, but please, prove it to me with rationality, not with intimidation attempts or threats. With this, Tacopina will not go to heaven and his client even less. All that he can provoke from DIARIO is a revelation of many compromising things (among them photos) which we have hesitated to publish, to prove that his client is not exactly ‘model’, fit to imitate. If it’s a campaign of DIARIO against Paulus and Joran that the lawyer is looking for, he’s knocking on the wrong door!

Lastly, his threat he will deal with Mansur later, leaves me completely with no concern. He can deal with me whenever he wants, but I won’t receive him with crossed arms. I also have his clients (Paulus and Joran) to deal with, now or later, for me it doesn’t make a difference. We know much more about Paulus and Joran than what Tacopina believes, or that we have let be known until now!
Finally, we have a saying in Papiamento that in many cases proves to be true: if you continue to scratch, you’re going to find many things that stink!

[translated by Getagrip]