FREETOWN, October 1, 2026 — The European Commission has suspended its budget support to Sierra Leone over the country’s failure to arrest and extradite convicted Dutch drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, also known as “Bolle Jos”, Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel has said.
The suspension, first reported by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and confirmed by Reuters on Thursday, affects €18 million (about $20 million) in payments that Sierra Leone was due to receive this year. A further €20.5 to €22.5 million earmarked for 2027 could also be blocked if Freetown continues to refuse cooperation.
Minister Van Weel said he was “very pleased” with the move.
“It is deeply galling that European Union funds are going to a country that refuses to cooperate with the extradition of someone like Bolle Jos,” he told De Telegraaf.
Who is Bolle Jos?
Jos Leijdekkers, 34, from Breda in the southern Netherlands, is one of Europe’s most-wanted fugitives. He has been on Dutch and Europol wanted lists since 2022.
– He was sentenced in absentia to *24 years in prison in the Netherlands* on June 25, 2024, for smuggling more than 7 metric tons of cocaine and ordering a murder and assault.
– In Belgium, he faces combined sentences of up to 80-100 years in various drug cases, according to Dutch and Belgian media.
– Dutch prosecutors are seeking to seize €221 million in suspected criminal assets linked to him.
Dutch authorities say Leijdekkers has been living in Sierra Leone since at least early 2023 and enjoys “high-level protection.”
The case gained international attention in January 2025 after video footage purportedly showed Leijdekkers attending a church service in Freetown with relatives of President Julius Maada Bio. In May 2026, Spanish authorities seized nearly 40 tons of cocaine from the MV Arconian, which was alleged to have been loaded in Freetown. The government in Freetown has consistently denied any complicity and said investigations were underway.
The Sierra Leone government, through the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, previously said it was investigating the reports and was willing to cooperate with international authorities, but no arrest has been made.
How Much Aid Is at Stake?
The EU’s Multiannual Indicative Programme for Sierra Leone earmarked €325 million in grants for 2021-2027, though Dutch media put the wider envelope including regional programmes at €352 million. The €245 million for 2021-2024 had already been allocated, with the rest subject to review.
According to Brussels Signal, the current decision is a freeze on payments, not a formal cancellation of the whole programme.
Van Weel had threatened in June 2026 to push Brussels to cut aid, arguing that Leijdekkers’ alleged income – which he claimed runs into hundreds of millions of euros monthly – could corrupt a country whose GDP is smaller than that income.
“In our estimation, this man has an income of hundreds of millions of euros per month in a country with a gross national product lower than his income. That will naturally corrupt such a country completely,” Van Weel said earlier.
What Sierra Leone Stands to Lose
EU budget support goes directly to government programmes in health, education, agriculture, governance, and rural roads. A prolonged suspension could affect service delivery.
The European Parliament, on September 17, 2026, also voted for stronger judicial cooperation with West Africa and called on the Commission to use all leverage, including visa restrictions on high-ranking officials and aid conditionality, to ensure fugitives do not evade justice. However, a parliamentary resolution alone does not impose sanctions – that power rests with the European Commission and Council.
As of this morning, the European Commission has not yet issued an official statement confirming the suspension through its official channels, and the Government of Sierra Leone has not yet formally responded to the latest announcement. Reuters reported that neither party immediately replied to requests for comment.
Discussions are also reportedly underway in Brussels about possible EU-wide sanctions targeting individuals like Leijdekkers.
