AMSTERDAM, 10/08/02 - The Amsterdam court on Friday decided that departing Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) party leader Mat Herben and LPF MP Jim Janssen van Raay will be heard in the criminal case against Volkert van der G. They have made statements which indicate they might possess relevant information, the court stated.

Herben said shortly after Pim Fortuyn was assassinated on 6 May that the suspect Van der G. belonged to a very dangerous group of five persons. Janssen van Raay claimed Van der G. had been hired to assassinate Fortuyn by fundamentalist Muslims.

As well as Herben and Janssen van Raay, the court ruled that Liveable Netherlands (LN) party leader Fred Teeven and chairman H. van den Haak of the committee investigating the lack of security of Fortuyn at the Lower House's request, would also be heard. While he was still public prosecutor in Amsterdam, Teeven commented that is was impossible that Van der G. had operated on his own.

The court did not grant requests by Van der G.'s lawyers to also call Premier Jan Peter Balkenende and his predecessor Wim Kok as witnesses in the proceedings against their client. The defence also in vain put in a plea for calling Home Affairs Minister Remkes and his predecessor De Vries, Justice Minister Donner and his predecessor Korthals, and LPF deputy parliamentary leader Hoogendijk. The court also found it not necessary to hear S. van Hulst, head of the domestic security service AIVD (formerly BVD) and chief J. de Wijkerslooth of the Board of Attorney-Generals.

The court decided that radio host Ruud de Wild, who stood next to Fortuyn when he was shot, and crime reporter Peter R. de Vries must be heard by the police. The Forensic Psychiatric Service (FPD) must study whether Van der G. should be subjected to a behavioral analysis and in which way and by which experts this should then be done.

The Amsterdam court adjourned the case for 90 days. The prosecution had requested between one and three months' time because its investigation has not yet been concluded. The judges extended Van der G.'s custody by the same 90 days.