Astrid Holleeder criticizes witness protection program in new book

Astrid Holleeder - sister of criminal kingpin Willem Holleeder - fiercely criticized the way she, her sister Sonja and Sandra den Hartog are being protected after testifying against her brother. In her new book Dagboek van een getuige, she writes that their protection against possible retaliation by Willem Holleeder, fails on all sides, NU.nl reports.

The three women have been in witness protection since they gave testimonies against Holleeder.

Astrid criticized the Safety and Security Department, responsible for their protection. According to her, information leaked from the security team, the alarm systems don't work and nobody answers the emergency numbers the Public Prosecutor gave the three women. "I have a so-called emergency number. But when Sandra used it, after seeing dubious types in her street, it did not work", Astrid said to Het Parool. "Sonja and I have three other numbers for emergency situations. With all three there was no answer. That's unbelievable right?"

Holleeder's sister also told the newspaper that she was considering withdrawing from the trial against her brother, but is now discussing it with the Public Prosecutor. She hopes that her new book will start a discussion about how the Public Prosecutor treats witnesses.

Dagboek van een getuige, or Diary of a witness in English, comes out on Friday. Astrid Holleeder's previous book, Judas, was a bestseller in the Netherlands for weeks after it was published. The book is also set to be turned into an American television series in the near future.