The State must return the Dutchman Jaitsh Singh to the Netherlands in the United States after 41 years of imprisonment. That is what the Court of Appeal of The Hague decided on Tuesday, confirms Singhs Advocaat NRC After reporting by de Volkskrant. He is the longest stuck Dutchman in a foreign prison.
It is the first time that the Court of Appeal forces the government to bring a prisoner back to the Netherlands, says his lawyer Rachel Imamkhan. “The ruling is an important victory for Singh, but also raises broader questions about the responsibility of the Dutch state towards its subjects in foreign detention.”
The 80-year-old Surinamese-Dutch Singh was given a lifelong ‘in the US state of California ’56 years. He would have ordered the murder of his wife and stepdaughter. Singh has always maintained to be innocent. A confession could have given him a penalty discount, but he refused to admit.
‘Family is happy’
Singh has been trying to be transferred to a Dutch prison for ten years. He is not yet aware of the ruling, says his lawyer Imamkhan NRC. “I have already spoken to his relatives and they are very happy.”
Part of Singhs leftover family, including his sister, lives in the Netherlands. The Court said on Tuesday: “As the cases are now, there is a good chance that Singh will sell his last days in the US without physical contact with his family.”
Earlier, the Netherlands refused several times to transfer Singh. According to the Dutch state, he would have insufficient connection with the Netherlands because he had not been living there for more than five years. The national lawyer also said in 2023: “The state wants to prevent an exception for Singh, the state would also have to make an exception for many others.”
Now the Court of Appeal states that the government should have made a different decision and that Singh should be brought to the Netherlands because of its “old age, brittle health and hopeless detention situation”. If Singh is transferred, he will in principle have to serve his remaining sentence in the Dutch prison.
Errors in lawsuit
Multiple mistakes would have been made during Singh’s criminal cases, among other things an investigation by de Volkskrant In 2017. For example, a prisoner crown witness received a reward from the prosecutor after he had made a taxing statement about Singh. Also relieving evidence would have been lost.
The Minister must now submit a request for criminal transfer to the US State within four weeks. According to de Volkskrant The US is open to the person concerned.
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