The ex-boyfriend of the mother of the nine-year-old Romanian boy Raul who was found dead in Ghent earlier this month will be extradited to Belgium from the Netherlands. He is suspected of involvement in Raul's death.
Last week Thursday, Raul's body was found in a sports bag in the Ghent harbour dock. The body was reportedly dumped in the water at the end of January, but this only came to light after relatives living in Germany raised the alarm, noting that the boy hadn't been included in video calls for weeks.
The boy's stepfather reportedly abused him for months, including beating him with a belt and pouring hot water over him. His abuse – which largely went unnoticed as the family was not registered in Belgium, making it harder for child social services to gain insight into the situation – eventually ended his life.
His mother was arrested last week by the investigating judge in Ghent on suspicion of manslaughter and body disposal, among other charges. The East Flanders public prosecutor's office is not yet giving details about the abuse he was subjected to, Belga News Agency reports.
Meanwhile, her ex-boyfriend was arrested in The Netherlands last weekend. He is suspected of involvement in Raul's death.
Same sentence as mother
The council chamber in Amsterdam on Friday decided that the man will now be handed over to Belgium, his Dutch lawyer Wiekash Ramnun confirmed. He reportedly did not resist the extradition but agreed to the "shortened surrender procedure." He is likely to be extradited sometime next week.
He will then appear before the Ghent investigating judge, who is likely to arrest him for the same offences as the boy's mother.
In her initial statements before Raul's body was found, the mother stressed that she had nothing to do with his death, instead placing the responsibility entirely on her ex-boyfriend, however, her daughter later stated that her mother was there when the body was dumped in the water.
