Translated from Starnieus, Mar 10, 2015
Dino Bouterse said before he was sentenced in New York to 16 years in prison today, that what he did was not a fair view of Suriname. His conviction will leave his eleven children between two and nineteen years, hurting deeply. He expressed regret over his actions. “I really regret my actions, and I am deeply, deeply, deeply ashamed of myself. I take full responsibility”, reports Reuters.
Prosecutors had asked to sentence Dino to thirty years in prison, according to the recommended federal guidelines. The prosecutor Michael Lockard said Dino used his country openly to put up a terrorist camp. It is necessary according to him to deter other government officials who are willing to "sell access”.
New York Judge Shira Scheindlin slapped the prosecutor on the fingers. She called the guidelines fundamentally unfair. Dino has indicated that he just wanted to make a lot of money, and not terrorists wanted to accommodate. There was offered him US $ 2 million by secret agents of the United States. The judge mentioned that the Lebanese terrorist organization in fact had absolutely no role in this case. US agents were posing as members of Hezbollah.
The judge argued that nothing turns out that Dino has had to deal with terrorism. Nothing in his history shows that he is a terrorist or has terrorist sympathies. His greed got the better of him. Richard Rosenberg, one of the lawyers of Dino, said the decision was tough, but he is pleased that the court has emphasized that there is no link between Dino and terrorism.
