The murder in Belgium of 55-year-old Greek diamond dealer and drug trafficker Henie Shamel and his 44-year-old girlfriend Anne de Witte – both found in a car with a gunshot to the head – was part of the infamous Passage process, in which seven murders were linked. to the Amsterdam underworld, were central.
Jesse R. and Mohamed R. (no relation) were convicted as arbiters of the murders of Shamel and De Witte; Siegfried S. was appointed gunner. Kenny Rampenburg would be a fellow shooter, but he died in 2003 and was therefore not convicted.
Debt
During the Passage process, the parties to the proceedings assumed that Henk R., who had a great reputation as a hash baron in the 1990s, was the principal for the double murder. He allegedly owed Henie Shamel 2 million guilders and “diversion would be cheaper than paying back”, the public prosecutor told the Amsterdam court on Thursday.
Henk R. was never able to defend himself during Passage, because he was serving a twenty-year prison sentence in America for drug trafficking. In January 2021 he set foot on Dutch soil again; he was immediately detained to serve another 14-month sentence because of a 2001 conviction.
He was arrested in his cell for the murder of Shamel and De Witte. But these were not planned by Henk R., his lawyer Mark Teurlings suggested, but by the deceased Surinamese criminal Stanley Kai Esser. He had a motive, because Shamel had once fired on him and had shot him blind in one eye.
‘Appointment’
Shamel would have let us know on the day of his death that he had an appointment with Esser, according to the lawyer, a witness would have let slip. And so would the story that Esser owed a large debt to Shamel.
Lawyer Teurlings also came up with an anonymous witness, who has stated in writing that Esser’s niece confirms the story that her uncle was the client. This witness wishes to remain unknown to the general public, but is prepared to testify behind closed doors to the court.
Heart
Meanwhile, it became clear that Henk R., who was known for his gift to escape, at the age of 71, became a man in the fall of his life. “I am a grandfather and I miss my children and grandchildren,” he told the court. His heart is troubled and he hopes to avoid a conviction, this time for murder.
His lawyer argued for a suspension of pre-trial detention. The judges have until Friday to make a decision.
The next pro forma hearing is on September 2, 2022.