TUESDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2023 - 18:40

Dutch crime boss Willem Holleeder's conviction must be upheld, Advocate General says
The conviction of Willem Holleeder for instigating five murders should be upheld, according to the Advocate General at the Supreme Court in its advisory opinion issued on Tuesday. The Amsterdam Court of Appeal last year sentenced Holleeder to life imprisonment for orchestrating a series of murder contracts in an appeal verdict.

Holleeder, who has always denied the charges, brought the case to the Supreme Court in cassation. The Advocate General (AG) also believes the imposed sentence should stand.

The court ruled that Holleeder (65) was the mastermind behind the assassinations of Cor van Hout and Robert ter Haak (2003), Willem Endstra (2004), Kees Houtman (2005), John Mieremet (2005), and Thomas van der Bijl (2006). He was also behind a failed assassination attempt on Mieremet in 2002.

In 2019, the court already concluded that Holleeder was guilty of instigating the murders and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Key evidence against Holleeder was provided by his sisters Astrid and Sonja and his ex-girlfriend Sandra den Hartog. The women gave extensive and detailed testimonies. Fred R. and Peter la S. also testified against Holleeder. Both were key witnesses in the so-called Passage process, which partly concerned the same murders. Holleeder's “partner in crime” Dino Soerel was also sentenced to life imprisonment in this trial.

In the cassation proceedings, Holleeder's lawyers raised objections to the court's decision on the legality of the key witness deals and the reliability of the testimonies from various witnesses. They also protested against the imposition of the life sentence.

The AG believes that the Supreme Court has already evaluated the legality of the key witness deals in the Passage process. The court did not deviate from this in the Holleeder case. The court thoroughly examined the reliability of the testimonies, including those from the sisters, and explored whether others might have been responsible for the murders. According to the AG, this investigation "did not provide any indications that someone other than the defendant was behind the murders."

The advice of the Advocate General is not binding. The Supreme Court is expected to make its decision on January 9. No further appeal is possible. If the court reaches the same conclusions as the Advocate General, the conviction is final.

Reporting by ANP