Jannemieke Ouwerkerk comments on surrender of suspects fatal assault Mallorca
One week ago a group of Dutch men were attacked out of the blue by another group of Dutch tourists on the Spanish island of Mallorca. One of the victims later died as a result of his injuries. The Spanish police know who the suspects are, but those men are in the Netherlands.
It is expected that the suspects will be arrested. They can then be surrendered to Spain, says Jannemieke Ouwerker, Professor of Criminal Law, to RTL Nieuws. 'In the European Union we have a special “surrender system” which regulates this.'
'The ball is now in Spain’s court, for as far as I am aware the Spanish authorities have already started to investigate the incident. So Spain will decide whether a European Arrest Warrant will be issued or whether the Netherlands will be requested to start criminal proceedings.'
The case in Spain has prompted many questions, says Ouwerkerk. 'The legal system there is shocked by the incident. This can be an important reason for Spain to say: we will prosecute here, in our own country.’ The suspected criminal offence did, after all, take place in Spain. 'So more evidence is available there. That is often a reason to say: the investigation, prosecution and trial will be done in the country where the offence was carried out.’