Suspect Hearing Case in Aruba Concludes … Joran Van der Sloot, Kalpoes & Security Guards Wait for Decision

According to sources in Aruba, the hearing to determine whether the suspects will continue to remain suspects is over. There has been no decision made yet and one will not be made until next week. The hearing, according to sources was for all five remaining suspects: Joran Van der Sloot, Deepak Kalpoe, Satish Kalpoe and the two security guards. What good reason is there to make an exception and take the primary suspects off a suspect list when by law the prosecutors have 2 years? Who does it serve? A lot can happen in six months, who is to say it won’t? So why do these three deserve to be an exception to the rule? Is that the precedent Aruba wishes to create? Or the perception they wish to put forth to the world?

Come to Aruba … disappear … never to be seen from again … and even though we have 2 years to prosecute suspects … we will let the last three people ever seen in your company off and not consider them suspects … why? Because we are Aruba and protect our own.

The hearing took place behind closed doors in front of Judge H.C. Smid, who is the judge that ruled previously on the same petition from the Kalpoe Brothers and Joran Van der Sloot, and denied their request. The media was not allowed in the court room during the proceedings. Why they make this any more clandestine and secretive than its been since the beginning is a mystery. Of course …why start now Aruba? Who would take Joran “fauxtograph” Van der Sloot off a suspect list? So what was the gist of the defense’s argument as to why they are seeking a ruling? One that actually makes no sense. How does the defense know or can know what the Prosecution will do in the future? Do the defense attorney’s have a magic 8 ball? Although one does begin to wonder if this is actually how decisions are made there.

We understand that the main argument of the defense is that the Prosecution has not, after a year and a half, presented its case in court. The defense doesn’t see any reason why the suspects should remain as such after that prolonged period of time.

How is it a prolonged period of time if the law states the prosecution has 2 years? One would think that with less than 6 months to go until they are taken off the suspect list as, what’s the hurray? If by Dutch law that can keep individuals as suspects for 2 years, then what’s the rush? Why have the guideline in place then? This is one of the most high profile cases and has major implications to Aruba and their perception as caring whether they take crime or investigations seriously.

The Dutch police are supposed to be looking at the Natalee Holloway case as a cold case. Peter de Vries just recently did a rather controversial TV show in Holland regarding Natalee’s disappearance. Now the defense wants all suspects removed from the list? Draw your own conclusions.

We have stated this fact many times and it rings most true today and will next week upon the judges decision. After 18 months of terrible press, inaction and cover up in dealing with the Natalee Holloway case, the last thing Aruba needs is to now show that they are making exceptions to their own laws to take the three main suspects off the list. Legally it makes no sense and financially it will be devastating.

What’s good for the three suspects, is terrible for Aruba.

UPDATE: Jossy Mansur emailed me and made the following comments regarding todays hearing and how he feels about the case in general.

There wouldn’t be any harm really if the Judge decides to terminate their status of suspects. The investigation will continue and they can be re-arrested if the prosecution can come up with evidence that can support that. As suspects they can be dragged in at any time to be interrogated; if not, then legal procedures have to be followed for them to be interrogated again.

I have no idea why Karen Janssen hasn’t brought the case to court yet. She can and should go for kidnapping and rape, or at least imposed or forced sexual activity on the girl, since she was going in and out of consciousness while they were busy molesting her in the back of the car. That has been admitted during the interrogations. (Jossy Mansur)