The Netherlands’ caretaker Minister of Justice, Foort van Oosten, is expected to visit Sierra Leone soon to press for the extradition of convicted Dutch drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, popularly known as “Bolle Jos.”
The move follows mounting frustration in The Hague over what Dutch authorities describe as Sierra Leone’s slow response to an official extradition request.
Despite intelligence reports indicating that Leijdekkers has been in Sierra Leone since early this year, he has yet to be handed over to Dutch authorities.
“This man belongs behind bars,” Minister van Oosten declared, confirming that new intelligence suggests the fugitive remains in Sierra Leone.
He said his visit will focus on “securing cooperation” from Sierra Leone and neighboring countries to ensure the arrest and extradition of Leijdekkers. The exact date of his trip has not been disclosed.
The case has become increasingly tangled due to conflicting reports about the suspect’s identity. While Dutch officials maintain he is Jos Leijdekkers, a 34-year-old sentenced in absentia to 24 years for large-scale cocaine trafficking, Sierra Leonean authorities identify him as Umarr Sheriff.
Presidential Spokesman Alpha Kanu said the government is conducting an investigation to verify his true identity.
“The Dutch said it’s Jos Leijdekkers; we don’t know that,” Kanu noted.
Complicating matters further are allegations of the fugitive’s close ties to influential figures in Sierra Leone.
Leijdekkers was reportedly seen at a public event near President Julius Maada Bio earlier this year, and unverified reports claim he has personal connections to the president’s family.
Attorney General Alpha Sesay confirmed that his office has reviewed the Dutch extradition request but is awaiting the outcome of a police investigation before taking further legal steps under the 1974 Extradition Act.
The international spotlight on the case intensified recently when Abdullah “Don Vito” Alp Üstün—allegedly Leijdekkers’ brother-in-law—was extradited from Dubai to Turkey after being found with a Sierra Leonean diplomatic passport.
With van Oosten’s visit on the horizon, pressure is mounting on Sierra Leone to clarify the suspect’s identity and act decisively on the extradition request.
