The Netherlands’ caretaker Minister of Justice, Foort van Oosten, is preparing to travel to Sierra Leone in the coming days to raise direct pressure on the West African nation over the extradition of convicted Dutch drug trafficker, Jos Leijdekkers, popularly known as “Bolle Jos.”
Dutch authorities have grown increasingly impatient, accusing Sierra Leone of dragging its feet despite the Netherlands submitting an official extradition request months ago. Dutch intelligence services have reportedly known since early this year that Leijdekkers was living in Sierra Leone, but the country has not yet handed him over.
“This man belongs behind bars,” Minister van Oosten said, confirming that the fugitive is still believed to be in Sierra Leone based on recent intelligence updates.
The planned visit is intended to secure renewed commitments from Sierra Leonean authorities and possibly leaders of neighboring states to assist in locating and arresting Leijdekkers. The Dutch government wants stronger cooperation after multiple attempts through formal diplomatic channels failed to produce results.
“We will request specific attention for this case,” van Oosten noted, indicating that the pressure will also be extended to partner nations in the region.
The exact date of Minister van Oosten’s trip has not yet been made public.
