PHUKET: A Phuket expat who was arrested in a swoop this year is facing charges of murder, money-laundering and drugs-related offences back in Europe.
Investigations have resumed into the 1996 disappearance of a beautiful woman who was the girlfriend of Marc de Schutter when she vanished.
Vera Van Laer, a 30-year-old mother of two, is believed to have been buried somewhere in the pleasant countryside near the house in Belgium she shared with Mr de Schutter.
In recent days, the investigation has returned to the news pages and to television shows where intrigue at what happened to Mr de Schutter's girlfriend has never ceased.
The Belgian businessman was traced to Phuket and nabbed in July after living an extravagant life on the run, making frequent trips to Singapore for mysterious purposes.
He is just one of several international criminals who have been efficiently traced and arrested on Phuket as local police gain more sophisticated access to databases around the world.
''We aim to actively seek them out,'' the Commander of the Crime Suppression Division, General Pisan Pakdeenaruenard, told a media conference on Mr de Schutter's arrest.
As for Mr de Schutter, 57 at the time of his apprehension, the plot is thickening as police dig deeper, literally.
Computers, documents, telephones and two vehicles were seized in the raid on the luxury house where Mr de Schutter had been living off Saiyuen Road in Rawai. He had been commuting regularly to Singapore.
What police now suspect is that Mr de Schutter lied when he said that Ms Van Laer caught the train for the French city of Nice on the day she was last seen alive.
They think he killed her. Various scams associated with a place called the Superclub are also still being investigated.
New witnesses have told investigators that Mr de Schutter managed to dodge the consequences of his criminal activities and flee to Phuket because he had well-placed friends in the police force.
Officers have been accused of falsifying records in relation to the ''businessman'' who became Belgium's Most Wanted fugitive.
This week, the new owners of the house where Marc de Shutter lived with Vera Van Laer were surprised when DVI police moved in and started digging afresh for Vera's body.
If Mr de Schutter is a killer, even after 16 years, police are still keen to establish his guilt or innocence.
Investigations have resumed into the 1996 disappearance of a beautiful woman who was the girlfriend of Marc de Schutter when she vanished.
Vera Van Laer, a 30-year-old mother of two, is believed to have been buried somewhere in the pleasant countryside near the house in Belgium she shared with Mr de Schutter.
In recent days, the investigation has returned to the news pages and to television shows where intrigue at what happened to Mr de Schutter's girlfriend has never ceased.
The Belgian businessman was traced to Phuket and nabbed in July after living an extravagant life on the run, making frequent trips to Singapore for mysterious purposes.
He is just one of several international criminals who have been efficiently traced and arrested on Phuket as local police gain more sophisticated access to databases around the world.
''We aim to actively seek them out,'' the Commander of the Crime Suppression Division, General Pisan Pakdeenaruenard, told a media conference on Mr de Schutter's arrest.
As for Mr de Schutter, 57 at the time of his apprehension, the plot is thickening as police dig deeper, literally.
Computers, documents, telephones and two vehicles were seized in the raid on the luxury house where Mr de Schutter had been living off Saiyuen Road in Rawai. He had been commuting regularly to Singapore.
What police now suspect is that Mr de Schutter lied when he said that Ms Van Laer caught the train for the French city of Nice on the day she was last seen alive.
They think he killed her. Various scams associated with a place called the Superclub are also still being investigated.
New witnesses have told investigators that Mr de Schutter managed to dodge the consequences of his criminal activities and flee to Phuket because he had well-placed friends in the police force.
Officers have been accused of falsifying records in relation to the ''businessman'' who became Belgium's Most Wanted fugitive.
This week, the new owners of the house where Marc de Shutter lived with Vera Van Laer were surprised when DVI police moved in and started digging afresh for Vera's body.
If Mr de Schutter is a killer, even after 16 years, police are still keen to establish his guilt or innocence.
DVI police found no body in the garden. Mrs.Van Laer used to be a call-girl. Superclub was a big chain of videostores, they even sponsored footballclubs. The "well-placed friends" in the police force of the city of Antwerp, will face criminal charges for falsifying records as well as disciplinary charges. All this was published in the newspapers in Belgium
Posted by Anonymous on November 13, 2012 13:21