“Aruban Offensive In Holloway Case” – Current Details on Natalee Holloway Case Developments

Dutch Newspaper De Telegraaf has printed a good summary of developments in the Natalee Holloway case since the arrests last Wednesday. For anyone who would like to be brought up-to-speed on where things currently stand, this is a good place to start.

Big thank you’s to Scared Monkey EURobert for providing us with the translation!

Aruban offensive in case Holloway

By John van de Heuvel and Bert Houses

ORANJESTAD (ARUBA) – The office of the Aruban public prosecutor is not the most picturesque building in the heart of colorful Oranjestad. However, the boring building since yesterday is not only the tourist attraction of Aruba, but also target of a true pressinvasion.

Cameracrews of all major American television stations are coming to line up in order not to miss a glimpse of justice-workers, that might have news about the arrest of Joran van der Sloot and his two friends. Under a burning tropical sun Head-Prosecutor mr. Hans Mos for each camera explains patiently that there is no news to be expected in the Natalee Holloway -case. But is this really true?

The same Publ.Pros. office in Oranjestad earlier this month was the place where Mos in a deeply secret meeting of ten chiefs of police, detectives and prosecutors. The discussion had only one agenda item: Are we going to arrest Joran van der Sloot or not? The pros and cons were put next to eachother one by one. In favor of an arrest pleaded some new, very interesting research. The material was collected by a partly Dutch invetigationteam that from April this year held the old Holloway dossier to the light.

On the basis of these findings, new technical and tactical crime investigations had been carried out, out of which striking contradictions came forward in the earlier statements by mainsuspect Joran van der Sloot. The police gladly wanted to confront Joran to those new facts. Not during an informal meeting at the police station, but in a series of tough questioning, without the three suspects getting the opportunity to share information on the investigation with each other. Against an arrest of Joran during the meeting was argued that Van der Sloots arrest would bring about another wave of negative publicity. After the first arrest and the continuing series of reports about Aruban police-failings American tourists had left the island ‘en masse’ (massively). The percentage vacationers from the United States fell by more than ten percent, which the tourism cost millions of dollars. But the ten attendees agreed quickly, economic interests could not stand in the way of the decision to reopen the Natalee Holloway-case. At the end of the discussion Saturday everyone was in line. In a final all-or-nothing offensive would it would be tried to get clarity on the fate of American blondine. “We did not want to get the reproach, that not everything was done to solve this disappearence-case.

Moreover, Joran van der Sloot on a number of important points still had a lot to explain, said a source close to the investigation. If all the data that we have now put in line, was known at the first arrest, he would never have let go. There was much more in the file than we thought.

Crucial

The coming days and weeks are crucial to whether the by the family Holloway so cherished clarity will be provided. Unlike in local media is suggested the new research is not obtained by infiltration of the friends of the suspects. “Infiltration would also had have little meaning,” explains a detective who was involved in the first investigation. “The three suspects spoke against third parties not or only in general terms about the case. After their first arrest we once have put them all in a policecar and left them alone. The car was full with bugs because we hoped that they would talk about the case. Nothing. Nothing. The blokes were as silent as a grave ”

The preliminary investigation also showed that Joran van der Sloot previously abused girls against their will. “We came into contact with an ex-girlfriend that had confessed to a therapist that she was raped by Joran. Naturally, we tried to let her press charges against Joran, but unfortunately she didn’t want to do that. She was still in love with Joran,” said the detective.

Gaps

Although earlier it was already clear that the investigation especially in the period shortly after the disappearance had big gaps in it, the new police team also encountered many shortcomings in the initial investigation. “For example, on key points there wasn’t pressed enough for their answers or reports of phonetaps were not fully written down. For instance: on a particular conversation in the transcript was put “it is not relevant”, and therefore not literally written down. Now we have listened to a number of interviews again, we see – in combination with the new research – indeed new suspicions rise up, “says a Dutch detective. Police and Attorney General in Aruba are convinced Joran and his friends Deepak and Satish have picked up girls many times befor, drugged them and had sex with them!!!. Headofficer of Justice Hans Mos confirms that is not thought that in the case of Natalee there was a preconceived plan to murder the girl. “For that reason, in addition to the manslaughter offense abuse resulting in death was added,” says Mos, who also does not deny that the investigation-team is going into a crucial week. While after yet another television interview he wipes the sweat of his forehead: “Of course we realize perfectly well that there will be much criticism again if we don’t solve the case now. But it would be unacceptable if we had not done the maximum to solve the disappearance of Natalee Holloway? Yes, it is true that at this moment we have not yet decided whether we take Joran and the brothers K. to court. This depends partly on what they the coming days will declare on the contradictions. And what if they remain silent? “That would, in this case, not be in their own interest!”

Click here to see the full Dutch article.