Goldpanner V.J. must be released following shooting in Para, says lawyer
Lawyer Mr D. Veira is demanding the release of goldpanner V.J., who has been in custody since 25 August. No weapon found, no witnesses and no gunpowder residue point to him as the shooter.
No evidence against goldpanner in La Vigilantia shooting incident
Lawyer Mr D. Veira has requested that the examining magistrate in Suriname release his client, goldpanner V.J., immediately on 1 September. Waterkant reports that V.J. has been in custody since 25 August 2026 on suspicion of violating the Firearms Act and other criminal offences.
The incident took place at La Vigilantia in the Para district. V.J. was present there together with two cousins and a brother. According to the petition, it is believed that one of them, out of V.J.'s sight, fired several shots with a handgun. A local resident recognised the vehicle in which the group had arrived and contacted the police.
The defence argues that no weapon was found on V.J. Neither was a gunpowder residue test carried out, and there are no witnesses who identify him as the shooter. A search of his home also yielded nothing that connects him to firearm or ammunition possession.
Veira further contends that it is now known who the actual shooter is. According to him, the police investigation into V.J. has been concluded and it has not been established that his client carried out any act that implicates him in a criminal offence. V.J. has had no prior dealings with the justice system and has fully cooperated with the investigation, the lawyer states.
As an additional argument, Veira points to overcrowding in Surinamese prisons and asks the examining magistrate to end the further detention of V.J.
Source: Waterkant