Jaitsen Singh back in the Netherlands after nearly 42 years in a U.S. prison
The Dutch citizen believed to have spent more time in a foreign detention facility than any other citizen arrived back in the Netherlands on Friday morning. Jaitsen Singh, 81, has been incarcerated in an American prison since 1984 following his arrest and conviction for the murder of his wife and step-daughter.
Singh has maintained his innocence ever since his arrest. He was found guilty in 1986 for the crimes, and sentenced to 56 years in prison. His conviction rested primarily on the testimony of a single state’s witness, a man who was an addict, and who allegedly was paid by prosecutor in exchange for his testimony. The man died shortly before he was due to retract his statement.
In August, the Court of Appeal in The Hague ruled that the Dutch State was obligated to repatriate Singh. The court found that Singh’s humanitarian circumstances justified his return to the Netherlands so that surviving family members could visit him.
“He is happy to be in the Netherlands,” said his lawyer, Rachel Imamkhan, after the Volkskrant first reported Singh’s return. “He is experiencing culture shock, though.” Singh is still being held in a prison.
An independent procedure is due to take place, in which a judge in the Netherlands reviews the circumstances and the sentence imposed by a foreign court to convert it into a sentence that would have been ordered by a Dutch court. That could only happen “after the transfer” of custody, said State Secretary for Justice and Security Claudia van Bruggen (D66) in a letter to Parliament.
The Public Prosecution Service said this will take place at a public hearing at the District Court in Amsterdam. The date has not been announced. The verdict from the U.S. court system will form the basis for the Dutch sentence. A new investigation into the question of Singh’s guilt will not take place, prosecutors said.
