Joran van der Sloot has been handed over to the Peruvian authorities. The 22-year-old murder suspect was flown from the Chilean capital Santiago to Chacalluta airport in the north of the country. Then he was driven to the Peruvian border near the town of Arica by Chile's Interpol police.
Mr van der Sloot walked alone across 100 metres of no-mans’ land to the border. He had his head down and spoke to no-one. On the border, 50 Peruvian police officers waited to charge him. On Saturday he was flown to the Peruvian capital Lima, where he is now in custody.
In Peru, Van der Sloot could face up to 25 years in prison, says Javier Villa Stein, Peruvian Supreme Court chief. He says these kind of crimes have to carry heavy sentences to protect human lives.
At Stephany Flores’ funeral this afternoon, her father, rich businessman and famous racing driver Ricardo Flores, said Van der Sloot will have to pay for his actions. “My daughter rests in peace, unlike the girl that died in Aruba. Hopefully her family will get justice too.”
If Joran van der Sloot is found guilty, he will have to sit out his prison sentence in a Peruvian prison. The Netherlands and Peru do not have any treaty for exchanging prisoners, although there have been negotiations since a year. He is likely to be placed in Lurigancho prison or Castro Castro. The conditions in both jails are notoriously poor.
RADIO NETHERLANDS
