Crime boss accuses sisters of manipulating case against him

According to notorious Dutch criminal Willem Holleeder, his sisters are manipulating the trial against him by lying in their testimony, he said in a pre-trial hearing in the court in Amsterdam on Thursday, NU.nl reports

Holleeder's sisters Astrid ad Sonja as well as his ex Sandra den Hartog are three of the key witnesses in the case against the crime boss. He claims that they're playing a game. A game of which Astrid in particular knows the rules, because she is a lawyer herself.

The crime boss said that crime reporter Peter R. de Vries is not writing about his trial as a journalist, "but as a party trying to manipulate the case with my sisters".

According to Holleeder, the complaint that led to his former lawyer Stijn Franken stepping down, was a coordinated attack on his right to a fair trial. Holleeder made his statement to the court in the presence of his new lawyers Sander Janssen and Robert Malewicz.

The Public Prosecutor applauded the fact that Holleeder managed to get new lawyers so quickly. Though the prosecutor added that it is regrettable that the appointment was not tested with the president of the Bar Association - both lawyers are also working on the Passage Process. 

Holleeder is standing trial for his involvement in multiple assassinations. He is being prosecuted for his role in the deaths of Cor van Hout in 2003, Willem Endstra in 2004, Kees Houtman and John Mieremet in 2005 and Thomas van der Bijl in 2006. He is also facing charges for an attempted assassination on Mieremet in 2002.