Statement From the Aruba Prosecutor’s Office regarding Natalee Holloway Investigation

Released 10/7/05.

From Aruba Public Prosecutor’s Office:

Investigation in Natalee Holloway case still ongoing

Oranjestad – The investigation into the disappearance of the American tourist Natalee Holloway is still ongoing. The investigation continues and the team is searching for new leads that may help solve this case. At the same time, the investigation that has been done until now is being revised and evaluated.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office is of the opinion that it’s important to bring the following forward with regards to how criminal investigations are conducted on the island of Aruba. The Public Prosecutor’s Office is an institute that has been established by law and the office forms part of the administration of justice and the judicial power on Aruba. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has specific tasks that are laid down in the laws of the island. One of the most important tasks, which is carried out by the Public Prosecutor’s Office as a part of the judicial power on Aruba, is the prosecution of criminal acts. The Public Prosecutor’s Office carries out this task by leading the criminal investigation that is done by the police. After the investigation is finished, the Public Prosecutor’s Office decides if a case will be brought before a judge through a citation.

In the prosecution of criminal acts, the Public Prosecutor’s Office operates completely independent from the Minister of Justice and the Government of Aruba. The Public Prosecutor’s Office does not have to justify its actions with regards to the prosecution of criminal acts to the Minister of Justice or the Government of Aruba. All the accounting that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has to do, will be done before the Common Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. Only the Common Court of Justice judges if the Public Prosecutor’s Office has done its work, the persecution of criminal acts, correctly. If that’s not the case, the Common Court of Justice can give the Public Prosecutor’s Office the necessary instructions. The Minister of Justice and the Government of Aruba do not have a say in this process. They cannot give instructions to the Public Prosecutor’s Office to prosecute somebody or to start a criminal investigation.

If a concerned party in a criminal case, for example somebody who has filed a complaint with the police, is of the opinion that the investigation is not being done or not being done in a reasonable amount of time, this person can file a complaint with the Common Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.