The Times - UK (2022-06-08)

34 Wednesday June 8 2022 | the times

Wo r l d

A Dutch rapper accused of killing the

renowned crime reporter Peter de

Vries boasted to his gangland boss

that he had shot his victim “straight

through his head”, prosecutors said

yesterday.

De Vries, 64, a journalist and

justice campaigner, was shot in day-

light in the centre of Amsterdam on

July 6 last year and died nine days

later. Prosecutors believe that the

contract killing was ordered from the

prison cell of the country’s most noto-

rious drug-mafia kingpin.

Decrypted messages on a smart-

phone seized by police during the

arrests of Delano Geerman, 22, and

his alleged accomplice Kamiel Egiert,

36, a Pole, were read out as the trial

opened.

Geerman’s DNA has been found on

the phone, prosecutors said, together

with instructions from the unknown

gangland commander ordering him

to kill de Vries and his reports of

having carried out the murder. “Bro

ahahahah. Bullets right through his

Supermarkets, restaurants and bars

in Spain that throw away food face

large fines from next year as part of

an effort to reduce waste.

The government wants them to

donate unused food to food banks, or

send them to be converted into juices

and jams, according to a bill approved

by the cabinet that will be sent for a

vote in parliament. Businesses will

have to sign agreements with food

banks specifying conditions for

collection, storage and transport.

Those that fail to comply face fines

Stores face fines for throwing away food

starting at €2,001. Repeat offenders

could be fined as much as €500,000.

The bill also deals with food past its

use-by date, which should be used as

animal feed, turned into compost, or

converted into biogas and other fuels.

About 30 per cent of food produced

globally — the equivalent of 1.3 bil-

lion tonnes — is either lost or wasted

each year, according to the UN.

Spanish households throw away 1.4

million tonnes of food a year, the agri-

cultural ministry said. In the UK,

about 9.5 million tonnes were thrown

away in 2018, according to the Waste

and Resources Action Programme, of

which 6.4 million tonnes could have

been eaten. Luis Planas, the agricul-

ture minister, said the bill, which he

expected to pass by the end of the

year, will reduce waste by 20 per cent.

Planas said diners should have the

right to take their food home in a

doggy bag from the establishment.

Spain is the third EU country to pro-

pose legislation to reduce food waste.

In France, a 2016 law forbids super-

markets from destroying unsold food

products, which must be donated.

Since 2016, Italy has been providing

tax rebates for businesses that reduce

the amount of food they throw away.

We must do more to cut food waste,

Thunderer, page 26

Spain

Charlie Devereux Madrid

Rapper ‘boasted of putting

bullet in journalist’s head’

head and body. Really succeeded,”

Geerman messaged five minutes

after the attack. “That bullet went

straight through his head.” Geerman

is alleged to have been paid a bounty

of €150,000 to carry out the shooting.

The killing is linked to Ridouan

Taghi, 44, an alleged drug baron,

because de Vries was acting as an

adviser to Nabil Bakkali, a former

gang member turned state witness

for the prosecution in his trial for

other killings. “It seems that de Vries

had to pay for his role as confidential

counsellor of the crown witness,” a

prosecutor said.

De Vries was a household name in

the Netherlands for his successful

campaigns on miscarriages of justice

or unsolved crimes. His book on the

kidnapping of the beer magnate

Freddy Heineken in 1983 was adapt-

ed into a Hollywood movie starring

Anthony Hopkins.

The court was shown CCTV

images showing de Vries leaving a

television studio at 7.26pm and Geer-

man walking behind him. Five shots

are heard at 7.28pm and de Vries is

seen to collapse. The presiding judge,

Gert Oldekamp, asked Geerman:

“Are you the one who shot Peter de

Vries?”. He replied: “I invoke my right

to remain silent.” Both suspects were

arrested 50 minutes after the shoot-

ing because their car’s number plates

had been caught on CCTV. Geer-

man’s DNA was found on the car-

tridge clip of the converted starting

pistol used in the killing.

Royce de Vries, 33, the journalist’s

son and a prominent lawyer, said:

“The suspects have such an unparal-

leled disrespect for life that it makes

no sense.” His younger sister, Kelly de

Vries, asked Geerman to look at her

when she addressed him. “Delano, I

look at you. Unlike you, when you

dared not look at my father as you

shot him from behind.” The trial is

expected to continue until July 14.

The Netherlands

Bruno Waterfield

Peter de Vries

was murdered in

Amsterdam

O

nce upon a

time, there

lived a

Viking

princess and

a new age shaman in

America. He swept her

off her feet and they

lived happily ever after,

or so the fairytale would

have it (Poppy Koronka

writes).

The Norwegian royal

family has announced

the engagement of

Martha Louise to Durek

Verrett — a guru to

Gwyneth Paltrow who

charges $1,500 an hour

for his insights — after a

three-year relationship

that has been both

controversial and tinged

with tragedy.

“His Majesty the King

and Her Majesty the

Queen send their most

heartfelt congratulations

and wish them all the

best in the future,” the

Royal House of Norway

said in a statement.

The couple announced

the news on Instagram,

with Verrett writing:

“She said YES!” and

Martha Louise beaming:

“I am so happy to

announce that I am

engaged to Shaman

Durek. The one who

makes my heart skip,

the one who sees me

and acknowledges me

from my highest

potential, who makes

me laugh and who I can

be vulnerable with.”

Martha Louise, 50,

renounced many of her

royal duties in August

2019, three months after

confirming her

relationship with

Verrett, 47. But she

remains fourth in line to

the Norwegian throne,

after her brother, Prince

Haakon, and his

children. While the

couple may seem like an

unlikely pairing, they

share an interest in

alternative healing.

Verrett, whose real

first name is Derek,

claims on his website to

be “a sixth-generation

shaman” of Haitian and

Norwegian descent.

Martha Louise

founded SoulSpring with

Elisabeth Nordeng, a

Norwegian author. The

organisation was

set up to “put

people in touch

with their

angels” and

closed in 2018.

The princess

renounced her

royal titles in

August

2019,

saying she

would use

them only

for official

duties.

She was criticised when

the couple announced a

speaking tour, The

Princess and the

Shaman. Verrett’s book,

Spirit Hacking, suggests

cancer can be caused by

“negative thoughts” and

that chemotherapy does

not work. Finansavisen,

a Norwegian newspaper,

said Martha Louise’s

backing for the book

was “not surprising, but

it’s silly. Stupid for her

and stupid for the royal

family”.

Verrett, who lives in

California, offers

spiritual guidance and

counts Paltrow and Kat

Graham, the American

actress and singer,

among his clients.

Martha Louise has

three daughters from

her marriage to the

Norwegian

author Ari

Behn, whom

she divorced

in 2016. He

took his own

life in

December

2019.

Paltrow’s shaman casts

his spell over princess

Martha Louise and Durek

Verrett announced their

engagement. Gwyneth

Paltrow, below, pays

handsomely for his advice