Desi Bouterse, the Surinamese ex-president and former army leader, has died of liver failure as a result of “chronic alcohol use”. That is the conclusion of the autopsy report on Bouterse’s cause of death that was published on Saturday evening. Word of his death came out on December 25, but according to the report Bouterse most likely died on December 23 or 24. Bouterse’s body will be handed over to his family, the report said, but the police investigation has not yet been completed.
Bouterse’s remains were found in his home in Paramaribo on Christmas Day. It is still a mystery to the police how the body ended up there, because Bouterse would not have died in Paramaribo. The ex-president had been on the run since he was sentenced last year to twenty years in prison for his role in the December murders of 1982. Until a few days before his death, the police raided several places.
After the body was found, the Public Prosecution Service seized it. A criminal investigation into the cause of death followed, in which several people were heard. Since December 25, Suriname and beyond have been buzzing with speculation and even conspiracy theories about Bouterse’s death.