Common Court rejects appeal of D.K.’s Lawyer in the Holloway case
Maintains majority of restrictions against J.v.d.S.
DIARIO Aruba
12/01/2007

ORANJESTAD(AAN)—Yesterday, the Common Court of Justice decided upon two separate appeals that were handed down for the lawyers of suspects D.K. and J.v.d.S. in the Holloway case. D.K. and J.v.d.S. are suspected, along with the third suspect S.K., in the death of Natalee Holloway, or in any case, mistreatment which led to her death.

Yesterday, these appeals were dealt with behind closed doors. In the case against D.K., the judge-commissioner gave an order, upon the request of the Public Ministry, to deny the lawyers of Kock, Wix and Zeppenveldt access to the suspect D.K. for a duration of eight days. Until now, the lawyers of Kock, Wix and Zeppenveldt have represented the K. brothers as a team.

The Public Ministry asked for this order based on the suspicion that D.K. could be obtaining information related to the investigation that they have against him or that the investigation to get to the truth could be impeded.

This suspicion was based on information from police reports that support the theory that some time ago, D.K. spoke to his brother S.K. in relation to their standing in the investigation. On this basis, the Public Ministry observed that the suspects were adjusting their declarations to fit each others’. This, along with the fact that both suspects were represented by the same team of lawyers, made the Public Ministry request the order.

The judge-commissioner went along with the Public Ministry’s [legal] arguments and gave the order that the three lawyers may not visit their client D.K. The lawyers appealed this decision at the Common Court. Currently, they only represent S.K. Upon the request of the aforementioned lawyers, D.K. is being represented by another lawyer since last week.

The Common Court decided today that the order of the judge-commissioner has its place and rejected the lawyer’s appeal. In the meantime, the judge-commissioner extended the term mentioned by 8 more days. In the case against J.v.d.S. it was asked of the Common Court to alleviate the restrictions against him (no contact with people other than his lawyer, no telephone, no letters, no newspapers, no magazines and no television).

They specifically asked for visits (his mother and brother, another lawyer and friends), a bible and other reading materials, and exercise. In the meantime, KIA, upon the request of the Public Ministry, provided a bible and reading material. The Common Court rejected the appeal against the restrictions yesterday, in the interests of the investigation.

[translated by Getagrip]