Suspect in Villa Brazil robbery released: 'Remained sitting in back seat'
The 25-year-old S.B. has been released following an armed robbery at the gold field Villa Brazil in Sipaliwini. The examining magistrate followed the defence, which argued that he had nothing to do with the robbery.
Examining magistrate releases suspect in Sipaliwini robbery
The examining magistrate in Suriname has released the 25-year-old S.B. in the case concerning an armed robbery at a shop on the gold field Villa Brazil in Sipaliwini. This is reported by Waterkant based on information from lawyer Derrick Veira, who confirmed the release following the lawfulness review of the arrest and detention.
S.B. was arrested on Friday, 11 September. He had travelled that day as a gold seeker in a vehicle with three others. When the driver noticed a fuel shortage, he and two other passengers got out to fetch fuel from a nearby shop. Robberies were then committed there.
Veira argued that his client had remained sitting in the back seat the whole time and had noticed nothing of the robbery — nor afterwards. The lawyer also put forward a practical argument: if S.B. had known in advance about a robbery, he could logically have taken the wheel to enable the vehicle to drive away quickly.
Camera footage that the Surinamese police had secured did not place S.B. at the scene of the robbery according to the defence. On the basis of all these arguments, Veira requested the examining magistrate not to consider his client a suspect any longer and to lift his detention.
The examining magistrate agreed with that request during the review. S.B. was subsequently released. His correct initials are S.B.; he was initially identified in the documents as C.B.
Source: Waterkant