Victims of Spoorloos mismatches want to hear makers and Derk Bolt under oath: 'Timing of departure remarkable'
Victims who were matched to the wrong biological parents in Spoorloos , want to be heard under oath in court by the makers of the KRO-NCRV program and the departing presenter Derk Bolt. The mismatches were in the news about two years ago and according to the victims, the bottom stone in the case has still not been found.
'For clients, the book Spoorloos is not closed', their lawyers Annemiek van Spanje and Royce de Vries tell this site after reporting by RTL Boulevard . 'Not only because they still have to live with the consequences of the mismatches, but also because they have not reached a suitable solution with KRO-NCRV. A month ago, KRO-NCRV therefore announced that the court would be requested to hold a preliminary witness hearing, in which clients want to hear Derk Bolt as a witness, among others.'
Such an interrogation is a preliminary stage of a civil procedure, in which the victims may claim compensation. But first it must be clear who exactly was to blame for the course of events. According to the victims, the news about the departure of presenter Bolt came shortly after the lawyers had informed the makers that they wanted to hear him under oath. 'Clients do not know whether this upcoming legal process was the reason for Derk Bolt's departure. They do find the timing remarkable', according to Van Spanje and De Vries.
'Incorrect and unfortunate'
KRO-NCRV does not want to respond to the request for the hearings. According to the broadcaster, this has nothing to do with Bolt's departure, a spokesperson emphasizes. 'The decision to say goodbye to Derk as presenter of Spoorloos after thirty years has a completely different reason than De Vries and Van Spanje make it seem', the spokesperson reports.
'We have been in talks with Derk since May last year, so not recently as they insinuate. We are grateful to Derk for his years of involvement with Spoorloos , he has always been a huge force together with the team. The speculative allegations made by De Vries and Van Spanje are not only incorrect, but we also reject them completely. We think it is a shame that they are seeking the media again in this way.'
Crime journalist Kees van der Spek revealed in 2022 that participants of Spoorloos in Colombia had been matched with the wrong biological parents . This was partly done via a so-called fixer on site. KRO-NCRV commissioned an independent investigation by corporate investigation agency Hoffmann, which revealed four mismatches. The victims believe that the investigation did not make it clear enough who exactly was to blame for the abuses.