PARAMARIBO — With the final judgment of the Court of Justice in the December murders case, in which Desi Bouterse – now the late -, Ernst Gefferie, Benny Brondenstein, Stephanus Dendoe and Iwan Dijksteel were sentenced to long prison terms, this criminal trial has come to a legal end. That is the official position of President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, which she announced on Friday after questions from reporters.
“What I personally think, or you personally think, no longer matters. The judge has struck the hammer; that case is over. We will not forget anyone, including these four people. But you – or anyone else – will not get a reopening of this drama from me,” she emphasized in response to questions about possible pardons for the detainees.
“I am not going to get you – or anyone else – to reopen this drama”
president Jennifer Geerlings-Simons
No personal request for clemency
“As long as someone doesn’t ask me for pardon, I don’t have a pardon request on my desk. Period!” With those words, the head of state responded to questions about this issue. She clarified that a request for pardon is only valid if it is personally signed by the person concerned.
What she has received so far is a letter from lawyer Irvin Kanhai, who claims to have acted on behalf of the four convicts, but without their signatures. “A pardon is a request from the person himself. As long as it is not on my desk, I know nothing about pardon. As long as they have not asked me for pardon, I have no question about pardoning this or that person. The person has to ask for it themselves,” Geerlings-Simons emphasized.
Therefore, no pardon will be granted to Dendoe, Gefferie, Brondenstein and the fugitive Dijksteel, because no personal, signed request has been submitted. The president thus considers the matter closed.
The letter, which Kanhai sent to the President’s Office, was not signed by the convicts. According to Geerlings-Simons, this means that there is no formal request for pardon. The four men were each given fifteen years in prison for their part in the December murders.
More than a thousand requests
The president said she is currently processing more than a thousand requests for clemency. These are forwarded via the Ministry of Justice and Police and are provided with all necessary documents and advice.
She noted that all official requests were signed by the detainees involved, something that was missing in this particular case. “A letter without the signature of the person himself is not a valid request,” the government leader explained
File closed
Geerlings-Simons also addressed Kanhai’s claim that his letter was submitted on September 17. The president indicated that she had not initially seen that letter because there was a backlog in processing incoming mail. “There have been letters that have been pending since July. When we started clearing the backlog, I found the letter. But even then it turned out that it was not signed by the convicts themselves,” she said.
For the president, the December murders case has been legally and administratively concluded. According to her, the court decision is binding and final. She emphasized that the rights of all prisoners are guaranteed, but that she sees no reason to return to this file.
The head of the staff further indicated that she wanted to focus her energy on the development of the country. “I have an entire country on my shoulders. The situation is not easy, but I continue to work to give all Surinamese a better life,” Geerlings-Simons said.
