The House of Representatives wanted to compel suspects to appear in their criminal cases and judge, but a plan for this was shelved: it seemed too expensive, among other things.
Minister Frank Werwind (Legal Protection) wrote this in a letter to the House of Representatives. The new doctrine was supposed to be implemented this year, but that has been pushed back to July 1, 2024.
For the time being, suspects still have the freedom to choose whether to come, unless the court obliges them, for example to shelter victims and surviving relatives who appreciate it. Given their interests, the VVD, CDA, PVV, and JA21 wanted such a commitment to appearance. Then, for example, the suspects are present when the victims and surviving relatives use their right to speak.
But Weerwind has more bad news for supporters in addition to the delay: the obligation to come in before the day of judgment in a criminal case won’t apply anyway.
According to Weerwind, the plan unexpectedly has “greater personal and financial consequences” than expected. There is already a shortfall of 170 full-time police and prison staff to implement it. €5 million had been set aside for the entire operation, but now it appears to have cost €23.4 million. The longer the sessions, the transportation, the extra security: the costs add up. To reduce this somewhat, the mandatory presence in provisions has already been abolished, reducing costs to 9.3 million euros per year. But that money will only be available from next year, not this year.
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