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Pim Fortuyn’s killer reaches probation deal to emigrate

October 2, 2018
This plaque marks the spot where Pim Fortuyn was murdered. Photo: Ramon Vasconcellos via Wikimedia Commons
This plaque marks the spot where Pim Fortuyn was murdered. Photo: Ramon Vasconcellos via Wikimedia Commons

The man convicted of killing populist politician Pim Fortuyn in 2004 has reached a deal with the probation services which will allow him to emigrate to another country.

Volkert van der Graaf went to court in May, saying the requirement to report to the authorities every six weeks is making it impossible for him to emigrate. The 48-year-old said earlier that he wanted to start a new life in Germany.

Van der Graaf, an animal rights activist, was freed in May 2014 under strict conditions, having served two-thirds of an 18-year sentence. He had shot dead Fortuyn in a car park in Hilversum as he left a recording studio, nine days before the 2002 general election.

Under the terms of the new deal, Van der Graaf will send a written report on his progress to the probation service every two months and will appear in person every six months for a face to face meeting.

Justice minister Sander Dekker told MPs the terms of the new deal are very clear. ‘I want to be sure that Van der Graff complies with the agreement with the justice ministry,’ he said. ‘If the public prosecutor is okay with this, then so am I.’

However, far-right MPs said the decision was scandalous and Christian Democrat MP Madeleine van Toortenburg said there needed to be more transparency about how these sorts of deals are reached.

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