President-in-Office of the Court of Justice, Dinesh Sewratan, is flanked by Anand Charan and Dennis Kamperveen. Left acting pg Carmen Rasam. On the second day of the hearing of the appeal in the December 8 trial, the main suspect Desi Bouterse is the major absentee. He has sent a certificate to the Court of Justice. He was personally present during the first session and is not obliged to attend all sessions.
Witnesses brought in by the suspects and their lawyer Irvin Kanhai will be heard today. All witnesses have been heard before during the trial, but Kanhai found it necessary for the Court of Justice to hear certain witnesses itself in order to make a proper judgment.
Bouterse and a few other suspects argued last time that the Court Martial did not use exculpatory statements from the witnesses in the final verdict. On that basis, they would like to see them make their statement again.
In addition to Bouterse, Benny Brondenstein, Iwan Dijksteel, Ernst Gefferie and Stephanus Dendoe have appealed. They are present at the hearing. Kenneth Kempes and Luciën Lewis were each sentenced to 10 years in prison. They never showed up at the trial.
