The government wants to increase the pressure on Sierra Leone to have Bolle Jos extradited from Breda. Because this has not worked so far, the Netherlands wants to try to stop European development funds to the West African country. This is what Minister David van Weel of Justice said in the TV program Buitenhof.
According to Van Weel, it is inexplicable that Sierra Leone receives European money, while according to him the country offers shelter to Bolle Jos. “It is of course bizarre that we facilitate or support a country that at the same time offers a safe haven to one of the largest drug criminals we know worldwide,” the minister said on Sunday in the TV program Buitenhof.
Biggest priority
Jos Leijdekkers, as his real name is, is seen as one of the biggest drug criminals in the Netherlands. The Breda resident has been sentenced to decades in prison in the Netherlands and Belgium. Van Weel calls his arrest one of his biggest priorities.
The Netherlands has been trying for some time to have Leijdekkers extradited. At the beginning of this month, Van Weel spoke with his colleague from Sierra Leone. According to the minister, the Netherlands has been receiving the same answer for months: “Busy at work, procedures are underway, police report almost completed.” Van Weel said in Buitenhof that he has “no illusion” that anything will move through politics. “So we are also looking more broadly.”
That broader track is now European development aid. Sierra Leone will receive EUR 352 million in subsidies from the EU between 2021 and 2027. The country also benefits from regional and international EU programmes. The Netherlands hopes to get other European countries to stop that support or at least use it as pressure.
Major drug bust
In Buitenhof, Van Weel also talked about a large drug seizure near the Canary Islands at the beginning of May. Between 30,000 and 45,000 kilos of drugs were intercepted. According to the minister, it is clear that the ship was loaded in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.
“If you look at the amount of drugs that came from that ship, it cannot be true that all layers did not cooperate in this operation,” Van Weel said.
According to various sources, Leijdekkers has a relationship with a daughter of President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone. That would make extradition difficult.
De Telegraaf reported earlier this month that the Netherlands had attempted to arrest Leijdekkers at sea in West Africa with special police and navy units. That action was reportedly canceled at the last minute. Van Weel did not want to say anything about this in Buitenhof.
In this video you can see why Bolle Jos is the most wanted criminal in our country:
