Justice interrogates Joran
Amigoe.com
02/09/2008

While he was secretly being recorded in conversation with ‘informant’ Patrick van der Eem, he was under the influence of marihuana, said Joran van der Sloot in the interrogation with Justice.

ORANJESTAD -- Joran van der Sloot declared that the conversations in Patrick van der Eem’s car, were carried on under influence of marihuana. He said this at a police station in Rotterdam, where he was voluntarily interrogated yesterday morning.

Detectives of the Aruban police and of the Corps national police service (KLPD) and his Dutch lawyer were present at the interrogation that lasted about two hours, said the Public Prosecutor (OM).

Other than that, Van der Sloot stuck to all his prior declarations in the investigation. He denies having anything to do with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, said the OM. He could leave after the interrogation. The examining magistrate decided on February 5 that Joran van der Sloot is not to be detained. The OM has appealed that decision and expects a verdict from the Common Court of Justice.

The OM has called on the media in a press release not to launch a witch hunt around the Holloway-case and to abstain from investigations of their own. “The interest for this case seems to degenerate into a witch hunt, whereby several people are being menaced in an intimidated manner”, is the opinion of justice. To the OM, these practices are ‘unacceptable’. People are being marked as suspects without any confirmation and menaced as such with all its consequences. Besides, other than causing big unrest, journalistic investigations harm the criminal investigation, said justice. “Without wanting to harm the value of free press coverage, justice would like the media to be reserved, exactly for the above reasons.”

The OM mentioned as an example the media hunt on an accomplice that Van der Sloot mentioned. After this person (Daury Rodriguez) had declared that he has nothing to do with the case, all eyes focused on a next person (Lorenzo van Rijn).

“The cameras were all around his house”, informed district attorney Dop Kruimel. “He had to take on a lawyer for the contact with us.”

If necessary, the OM will also protect the suspect Joran van der Sloot. The OM is also of the opinion that yesterday’s words of Justice-minister Rudy Croes were premature. Croes wants to declare Joran van der Sloot persona non grate.

“The boy is not convicted yet; besides, there are a whole lot of judicial hurdles ahead, before he can be refused admission to Aruba. He is legally admitted anyway”, was the reaction of the OM.

Many institutions, official bodies, lawyers, journalists, and psychologists are asking themselves how to handle the outpouring of Joran van der Sloot before the hidden camera. According to law psychologist Albert Wagenaar, there is not even a confession in the revealing reportage. There is no solving of the case and it is no confession of a criminal act, ’because none is indicated’, said the psychologist.

The ombudsman of NOS, Tom van Bussel is of the opinion that the NOS should have been more reserved in reporting Peter R. de Vries’ claim that he had solved the Holloway disappearance-case. After the coverage of SBS6 on Sunday evening it appeared that De Vries’ promise is not fulfilled. “What we know now is that Joran is a confused guy. Like a source of the OM phrased it: ‘We thought that we would get a solution, but what we got was another of the so-many stories”, states the ombudsman on his NOS-website.

At this moment, the Dutch Council for Journalism doesn’t want to say whether certain publications in the Joran van der Sloot-case have crossed the borders of careful journalism.

Nevertheless, top executive of the Dutch OM, Harm Brouwer praises De Vries for his coverage. The chairman of the college of procurator-general said in an interview in Trouw last Friday that De Vries has delivered good journalistic work. “The criticism from media circles on De Vries is pretty hypocritical”, said Brouwer. “What he did is a logical continuation on a trend that is going on for years. He is in many respects a journalistic professional.”

Brouwer wants a social debate on citizens that are actively involved in tracing activities. That is just a detail. The point is, where private investigation must start and where it must stop.”

BALKENENDE

Premier Jan Peter Balkenende assumes that, during his Aruba-visit this Friday, the Holloway-case will come up for discussion in his conversation with Premier Nelson Oduber. He said in the TV-programme EenVandaag that this is the case of the judicial authorities and that he must not get involved. He pointed out the complexity of the case. Van der Sloot’s statements are indeed arguable; Daury said that he was not on Aruba when the affaire took place. Balkenende will be on Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles for five days, starting on Sunday.