Attorney General requests maintenance of lean on Dos Santos

May 16, 2012 5:51 PM

WILLEMSTAD — Minister of Justice Elmer ‘Kadè’ Wilsoe (PS) is in the United States until 19 May for personal purposes. Meanwhile, the jousting between Wilsoe and Attorney General Dick Piar continues in the Bientu-investigation.Piar assumes that the lean on the bank accounts of corporations Ponsford Overseas and Tula Finance belonging to main suspect in the Bientu-investigation, lottery boss Robbie dos Santos, from 15 February will be maintained and enforced.

In a letter of 4 May , which was published integral in the Vigilante yesterday, Piar wrote that at the time he submitted the request for the lean on the basis of a judicial order from the judge. Piar believes that when he submitted the request for legal assistance, he was still fully authorized to do so.

Dos Santos’ lawyer, Eldon ‘Peppie’ Sulvaran stated in a recently issued press report that the attorney general had sent the letter of 4 May without any authority. According to him, the attorney general went behind the minister’s back because Wilsoe had revoked the attorney general’s authority regarding the treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal cases. With the letter, according to Sulvaran, the attorney general submits a second request to place the lean although the judge had already ruled the lean was unlawful.

Sulvaran finds it even more remarkable that on the same day the ambassador of the Kingdom in the US also sent a letter to the American authorities requesting not to lift the lean. Two days later, Officer of Justice Mul also sent a letter to the American authorities with the same request, said Sulvaran.