Due to the death of ex-president Desi Bouterse, it has been anything but a quiet Christmas for the Surinamese police. Early Christmas morning, officers and the chief public prosecutor were on site to remove Bouterse’s remains from his home in the Leonsberg district. Bouterse’s personal physician had previously officially confirmed the death. Although no traces of a crime were found at first glance, Bouterse’s body was seized on the instructions of the Public Prosecution Service.
The body is now in the morgue and the pathologist’s report is awaited, said Inspector Milton Kensmil, police spokesman. “We would prefer to have clarity now because we notice that there is a lot of noise in society. Our expectation is that the investigation will be completed within a week. In addition to the cause of death, it is especially important for us to know: where was Bouterse? Research on his body may also provide information about this. The body of someone who has lived in the jungle or outdoors for a long time looks different from someone who has lived comfortably in a closed place. And what was Bouterse’s health before his death?”
Gossip circuit
The police of Suriname came under heavy fire last year. They could not prevent Bouterse from fleeing his prison sentence. The police also failed to track him down. And were they even doing that? In any case, there was little notice of this in the small Surinamese society.
Inspector Kensmil: “We have certainly been diligently looking for Mr. Bouterse. And it may seem to the outside world that no efforts have been made, but our intelligence services have made every effort to find out where he was. As the Surinamese police, we do not have the same resources that a country like the Netherlands has for such an operation. But within our capacity, everything has been done to track him down.”
In the so-called mofo koranti – the ‘mouth newspaper’, or the gossip circuit – the idea is that Bouterse’s escape was arranged with help and protection from outside, in which high-ranking officials were also involved or informed. Kensmil keeps quiet about this. “If it turns out that people at the top are complicit or have assisted, they will also be prosecuted. The Public Prosecution Service does not look at someone’s position or status. There is no point in speculating,” says Kensmil.
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In the weekend preceding Bouterse’s death, the police already raided three different locations where he could be. Including at his home in Paramaribo and at a location in Commewijne, a district where Bouterse was last spotted, according to media from neighboring French Guiana. According to Kensmil, no one was arrested during those raids. He does not want to say whether any traces of Bouterse’s possible presence have been found. It is also not yet clear where Iwan Dijksteel is: Bouterse’s also convicted ex-bodyguard who fled with him. “Dijksteel still has the status of fugitive, we do not have any information about him yet.”
Since the remains were collected, the police have also started an investigation in which people around Bouterse are being questioned. “Mr Bouterse’s body was apparently transported to Paramaribo from a certain location. How was that done and by whom? That investigation is now in full swing,” says Inspector Kensmil.
Once the examination of his body has been completed, Bouterse’s funeral may take place on January 3 or 4, 2025.