It’s not usual for the Landsrecherche to interrogate suspects on a Saturday. Usually, this happens because there’s an ongoing case, and the deadlines are looming, putting pressure on the system. But, surely not to question a suspect who has been incarcerated for six months already. So, they choose not to interrogate him during the week, but on Saturday, probably with an extra compensation, although all police officers working at Landsrecherche receive an additional compensation on their salary every month.
The Public Prosecution Service is currently investigating and pursuing at least one “Wardacosta” employee, also known as the Coast Guard, whose main base is at Marienierskazerne in Savaneta. The employee has been locked up for about six months, and the case against the main suspects has already moved forward, with some being sentenced and one even released already!
It was in March of this year when the case was brought before the court, in which there were a total of five charges against the employee, Gerardo Ramon Boekhoudt. He, along with three other suspended colleagues to date, allegedly helped smugglers from the local or Venezuelan waters to reach Aruba with either illegal immigrants, firearms, or drugs.
The charges against him
Gerardo Boekhoudt is accused of complicity in the importation of cocaine via the sea to Aruba between September 1, 2022, and September 9, 2023, along with others. He is also accused of human trafficking from Venezuela (resulting in death at sea) between January 1, 2023, and March 22, 2023.
Another accusation against him is that, between September 1, 2022, and September 9, 2023, he accepted bribes such as money, gifts, and/or promises in exchange for information and compromising his duties or performed them negligently. This included providing information to individuals, such as coordinates of blind spots at sea and patrol locations, or failing to report observations from radar cameras or providing incorrect information, and misusing his position as a Coast Guard and violating the secrecy of work.
Finally, he is accused of participating in a criminal organization between September 1, 2022, and September 9, 2023.
With the case still under investigation and interrogations are ongoing, no court date can be discussed. Lawyer Demis Illes didn’t have much to say on Saturday afternoon as he exited the Landsrecherche office on Vondellaan. He confirmed that it concerns the case against a “Wardacosta” employee. “Nothing new, just interrogation in an ongoing case. The suspect has already been incarcerated for quite some time,” said the lawyer, known as one of the most popular in handling criminal cases in Aruba.
We have to wait for the Landsrecherche to finish the complete investigation, complete the official report, and then send it to the public prosecutor’s office to decide whether to bring it to court and on what day. This process takes time, so it’s not expected that the trial will take place before the summer recess, probably not until after next August, but possibly before the end of the year.
