Dutch Prime Minister Presses President Bio For Extradition of Bolle Jos
Prime Minister Dick Schoof has formally asked the president of Sierra Leone to extradite cocaine trafficker ‘Bolle Jos’ Leijdekkers. The request was made on Monday during an international summit in Angola. The meeting was particularly delicate because President Julius Maada Bio is also the father-in-law of the Netherlands’ most-wanted criminal.
A press release from the Sierra Leonean president last week included a photo of the informal exchange between him and the Dutch prime minister. According to a spokesperson for Schoof, Bolle Jos was discussed during the short conversation.
“Prime Minister Schoof emphatically raised the Dutch government’s request to extradite the criminal Jos Leijdekkers, who has been convicted in our country,” the written statement said. The spokesperson did not comment on how President Bio responded.
The meeting took place on Monday at a summit between the African Union and the European Union in Angola. The gathering focused on relations between the two continents, touching on issues such as migration, security, and—indeed—the fight against organized crime.
In light of that last topic, the exchange between Schoof and President Maada Bio of Sierra Leone is particularly striking.
The Brabander is also said to have married the president’s daughter. According to an opposition leader in the country, the couple had a child this autumn.
The Netherlands has been asking Sierra Leone since February to extradite fugitive drug criminal ‘Bolle Jos’ Leijdekkers, but has so far received no response. Earlier this year, former Minister of Justice Van Weel was already frustrated after failing to make contact with his counterpart in the African nation.
His successor, outgoing Minister of Justice and Security Foort van Oosten (VVD), is traveling to West Africa on Friday to again push the matter. A conference on drugs and organized crime will be held in Ghana.
Van Oosten stated last month that he intends to apply pressure on Sierra Leone and the surrounding countries at the conference to secure the extradition of Jos Leijdekkers. “This man belongs behind bars,” Van Oosten said at the time. He added that he plans to “draw very specific attention to this point.”
Bolle Jos was convicted last year in the Netherlands and sentenced to 24 years in prison for multiple drug transports and ordering a murder that was never carried out. He must also pay €96 million to the state for the profits made from cocaine trafficking. In Belgium, Bolle Jos has been sentenced in several major trials to a total of fifty years in prison.
However, there is considerable doubt about whether he will actually serve this massive sentence. There are clear indications that he enjoys protection in Sierra Leone through corrupt contacts. Videos have surfaced showing ‘Bolle Jos’ handing out gifts to powerful figures in Sierra Leone during a birthday celebration.
