WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2319/97 by Leonie van BLADEL to the Council. Fighting international crime and guarding the European external borders against the transit of cocaine via the Netherlands by the Surinamese drugs cartel
3. 4. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 102/21 (98/C 102/31) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2319/97 by Leonie van Bladel (UPE) to the Council (18 July 1997) Subject: Fighting international crime and guarding the European external borders against the transit of cocaine via the Netherlands by the Surinamese drugs cartel 1. Does the Netherlands Presidency of the Council realize that the suspension of the Hague Public Prosecutor, Charles van der Voort, who was also head of the CoPa team, has done serious damage to the investigation into the activities of the Surinamese drugs syndicate and the preliminary judicial examination concerning the former dictator of Surinam, Desire· Delano Bouterse? 2. Has the Presidency given any thought to the fact that compliance with the duty assumed by the Netherlands Government in the framework of the Schengen Agreement, namely that of guaranteeing safety by guarding the external borders, is seriously hampered by the suspension of the Hague Public Prosecutor, C. V. van der Voort, because of the large quantities of cocaine from Colombia/Surinam which are smuggled to other European Member States via the Netherlands? 3. In view of the strong public interest in the dismantling of the Surinamese drugs syndicate and ensuring that the preliminary judicial examination concerning the ex-dictator of Surinam, Bouterse, continues, will the Presidency instruct Mr Van der Voort to resume his duties immediately in order to halt the smuggling of cocaine to the European Member States via the Netherlands? This should be viewed, inter alia, in the context of the precedent set when the former head of the Netherlands Foreign Intelligence Service, K. M. Meulmeester, and the former Secretary-General of the Ministry of General Affairs, R. J. Hoekstra, were excused of their misconduct in having destroyed all the files of the former Netherlands Foreign Intelligence Service, including those on Surinam? (98/C 102/32) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2320/97 by Leonie van Bladel (UPE) to the Council (18 July 1997) Subject: Fighting international crime and guarding the European external borders against the transit of cocaine via the Netherlands by the Surinamese drugs cartel Can the Netherlands Presidency of the Council explain why the former Secretary-General of the Ministry of 1. General Affairs, R. J. Hoekstra, despite his misconduct in having ordered the unlawful destruction of all the files of the former Netherlands Foreign Intelligence Service, is to be retained as a member of the highest advisory body in the Netherlands, the Council of State, and why Mr van der Voort, who is suspected of complicity in a similar act of misconduct › destruction of a file › is being suspended? 2. Can the Presidency explain how it is possible that on 14 September 1997 the former head of the Netherlands Foreign Intelligence Service, K. M. Meulmeester, in his capacity as an advisor to the Prime Minister, is to be a guest speaker at the Europa 2000 conference on fighting international crime in Bucharest, despite having committed an act of misconduct in unlawfully destroying the files of the former Netherlands Foreign Intelligence Service, and why Mr Van der Voort, who is suspected of complicity in a similar act of misconduct › destruction of a file › is being suspended? 3. Does not the Presidency agree that the expediency principle should be applied in respect of the suspicions against Mr Van der Voort, in view of the far greater public interest of Europe as a whole in combating the Surinamese drugs mafia, and bearing in mind that the suspicions against Mr Van der Voort are based purely on his complicity in an act of misconduct consisting of destruction of a file, an act which has been excused in the public interest in many previous, far more serious cases, such as those of K. M. Meulmeester and R. J. Hoekstra? Joint answer to Written Questions E-2251/97, E-2319/97 and E-2320/97 (7 November 1997) The questions raised by the Honourable Member fall out with the Councilís sphere of competence