The body of the deceased Desi Bouterse has been seized by the Surinamese justice department for investigation. The Public Prosecution Service is expected to provide more clarity about Bouterse’s cause of death later in the day Surinamese media Tuesday afternoon. It is not clear whether the investigation also focuses on the possible place where Bouterse died.
According to justice, Bouterse’s death came completely unexpectedly for the family. “Until recently there was no indication that there was anything wrong with him,” Ramon Abrahams, an influential politician within Bouterse’s party and his right-hand man for years, told Surinamese media.
Earlier in the day, Bouterse’s doctor could not give a definitive answer whether it was a natural death or not. It is unclear how and when Bouterse was brought to his home on the Suriname River. He had been on the run for years. This weekend, several house searches were reportedly carried out by the judiciary. His home was also raided.
Desi Bouterse was sentenced a year ago to twenty years in prison for his role in the December murders. That trial concerned the murder of fifteen opposition politicians from Bouterse’s then government in 1982. Because he fled, he was never arrested. Bouterse played a crucial role in Surinamese politics for over forty years. He has previously been convicted of drug trafficking in the Netherlands.
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Sadness, disbelief and many questions at the Bouterse home after his death