Patrick van der Eem
Encyclopedia
Patrick Paul van der Eem (born 1973; Curaçao
) is a Dutch Antillean entrepreneur
and convicted drug dealer known for his part in the undercover television report about Joran van der Sloot
that was produced by Dutch
crime reporter Peter R. de Vries
. The program set a Dutch television viewing record and renewed attention in the ongoing investigation of the 2005 disappearance of American
student Natalee Holloway
in Aruba
.
franchises. The younger Van der Eem was convicted twice on drug charges and has been blocked from entering the United States
because of his criminal record. According to Van der Eem in 2008, he had only received traffic tickets since his last drug offense in 1995. In 2003, Van der Eem opened a Pirtek franchise which repairs hydraulic hoses. A company spokesperson stated that Van der Eem's 7-person organization is the best operated in the Benelux
region.
Van der Eem has a visible scar on his left cheek which he says is a "boca grande" inflicted on him by criminals in retaliation for being an informant
. However, he had told his CEO Martin Melkert that the scar was the result of a car accident.
that contained hidden camera
s. Van der Sloot is seen in the tape smoking marijuana. Van der Eem later said that he regularly used cocaine in front of Van Der Sloot over a seven month period to retain his trust. The broadcast was watched by 7 million viewers in the Netherlands and was the most popular non-sports program in Dutch television history. Van der Eem was paid €
25,000 for his work on the undercover report.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News
, Van der Eem said that he first met Van der Sloot in a Dutch casino in Nijmegen. Without introduction, he said, "Hey murderer!" in Papiamento
, the language of Aruba, to gain Van der Sloot's attention. Van der Eem said that he was "totally convinced Joran is telling the truth" in the recordings. Van der Eem said that ABC paid US$830,000 to secure the rights to broadcast the program in the United States.
Aruban prosecutor Hans Mos said that he took the "very impressive" taped account "very seriously" and that he would reopen the investigation. However, the evidence was deemed insufficient to warrant re-arrest. Although the taped confession appeared damning, Van der Sloot argued that he was lying to impress Van der Eem, who he believed to be a drug dealer.
s to buy the man's silence. According to Dutch news service Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau
, Van der Eem, who had signed a book deal, "was furious" after learning of the taping and "threatened" the interviewer, who sought legal advice.
In December 2008, Van der Eem was arrested in Arnhem
, Netherlands
for attacking his girlfriend with a crowbar and driving erratically while evading police. He claimed to be under the influence of drugs at the time and was sentenced to 30 hours of community service.
non-fiction
book that was first published in Dutch
on June 25, 2008 by TM, an imprint
of FMB uitgevers. The book became a best seller in the Netherlands and was later published in English
as an eBook under the title Disposed: One Man's Journey to Uncover the Truth. De Vries wrote the introduction to the book in which Van der Eem covers his past as an drug addict and dealer and recounts his experience with Van der Sloot with transcripts of the undercover video.
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
) is a Dutch Antillean entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and convicted drug dealer known for his part in the undercover television report about Joran van der Sloot
Joran van der Sloot
Joran Andreas Petrus van der Sloot is a Dutch national who lived in Aruba. He has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States for wire fraud and extortion related to the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway, who disappeared in Aruba on May 30, 2005, and is charged in Peru with the...
that was produced by Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
crime reporter Peter R. de Vries
Peter R. de Vries
Peter Rudolf de Vries is a Dutch Investigative Journalist and crime reporter. His television program covers high profile cases and set a Dutch television viewing record. In 2005, he started his own political party which was disbanded soon after.-Early life and career:Peter Rudolf de Vries was born...
. The program set a Dutch television viewing record and renewed attention in the ongoing investigation of the 2005 disappearance of American
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
student Natalee Holloway
Natalee Holloway
Natalee Ann Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, a Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. An American student from Mountain Brook, Alabama, Holloway graduated from Mountain Brook High School on May 24, 2005, shortly before the trip...
in Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
.
Background
Patrick van der Eem is the son of Leon van der Eem, a former operator of nine McDonald'sMcDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
franchises. The younger Van der Eem was convicted twice on drug charges and has been blocked from entering the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
because of his criminal record. According to Van der Eem in 2008, he had only received traffic tickets since his last drug offense in 1995. In 2003, Van der Eem opened a Pirtek franchise which repairs hydraulic hoses. A company spokesperson stated that Van der Eem's 7-person organization is the best operated in the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
region.
Van der Eem has a visible scar on his left cheek which he says is a "boca grande" inflicted on him by criminals in retaliation for being an informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
. However, he had told his CEO Martin Melkert that the scar was the result of a car accident.
Joran van der Sloot undercover video
On February 3, 2008, SBS 6 aired a program produced by De Vries in which one time Dutch suspect Joran van der Sloot discusses his knowledge of the Natalee Holloway case with Van der Eem while riding in a Range RoverRange Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
that contained hidden camera
Hidden camera
A hidden camera is a still or video camera used to film people without their knowledge. The camera is "hidden" because it is either not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another object...
s. Van der Sloot is seen in the tape smoking marijuana. Van der Eem later said that he regularly used cocaine in front of Van Der Sloot over a seven month period to retain his trust. The broadcast was watched by 7 million viewers in the Netherlands and was the most popular non-sports program in Dutch television history. Van der Eem was paid €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
25,000 for his work on the undercover report.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, Van der Eem said that he first met Van der Sloot in a Dutch casino in Nijmegen. Without introduction, he said, "Hey murderer!" in Papiamento
Papiamento
Papiamento is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands, having the official status on the islands of Aruba and Curaçao. The language is also recognized on Bonaire by the Dutch government....
, the language of Aruba, to gain Van der Sloot's attention. Van der Eem said that he was "totally convinced Joran is telling the truth" in the recordings. Van der Eem said that ABC paid US$830,000 to secure the rights to broadcast the program in the United States.
Aruban prosecutor Hans Mos said that he took the "very impressive" taped account "very seriously" and that he would reopen the investigation. However, the evidence was deemed insufficient to warrant re-arrest. Although the taped confession appeared damning, Van der Sloot argued that he was lying to impress Van der Eem, who he believed to be a drug dealer.
Media coverage of Van der Eem
In March 2008, Van der Eem himself was secretly taped after giving an interview for Aruban television. He continued talking candidly, under the impression that cameras had been turned off. Van der Eem disclosed that he had been a friend of Van der Sloot for years, contradicting his statement on the De Vries program that he had just met Van der Sloot in 2007. Van der Eem said that he expected to become a millionaire from his involvement in the Holloway case. He said that he knew the person who supposedly disposed of Holloway's body and that Van der Sloot had asked him for two thousand euroEuro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s to buy the man's silence. According to Dutch news service Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau
Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau
The Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau is the largest news agency in the Netherlands. ANP was founded on December 11, 1934 by the association of Dutch newspapers NDP...
, Van der Eem, who had signed a book deal, "was furious" after learning of the taping and "threatened" the interviewer, who sought legal advice.
In December 2008, Van der Eem was arrested in Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
for attacking his girlfriend with a crowbar and driving erratically while evading police. He claimed to be under the influence of drugs at the time and was sentenced to 30 hours of community service.
Book
Van der Eem collaborated with author Elizabeth E. Byars to write Overboord: hoe ik Joran van der Sloot aan het praten kreeg (Overboard: how I got Joran van der Sloot to talk), an autobiographicalAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book that was first published in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
on June 25, 2008 by TM, an imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of FMB uitgevers. The book became a best seller in the Netherlands and was later published in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as an eBook under the title Disposed: One Man's Journey to Uncover the Truth. De Vries wrote the introduction to the book in which Van der Eem covers his past as an drug addict and dealer and recounts his experience with Van der Sloot with transcripts of the undercover video.
See also
- Aruba: The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in ParadiseAruba: The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in ParadiseAruba: The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise is an autobiographical true crime book by Dave Holloway about his experiences searching for his missing daughter Natalee Holloway, co-written with R. Stephanie Good and Larry Garrison...
by Dave Holloway - De zaak Natalee HollowayDe zaak Natalee HollowayDe zaak Natalee Holloway: mijn eigen verhaal over haar verdwijning op Aruba is an autobiographical non-fiction book written by Joran van der Sloot with Zvezdana Vukojevic. It was released in 2007 in the Dutch language by Amsterdam-based publisher Sijthoff...
by Joran van der SlootJoran van der SlootJoran Andreas Petrus van der Sloot is a Dutch national who lived in Aruba. He has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States for wire fraud and extortion related to the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway, who disappeared in Aruba on May 30, 2005, and is charged in Peru with the... - Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and FaithLoving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and FaithLoving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith is an autobiography written by Beth Holloway about her missing daughter Natalee Holloway, with portions contributed by Sunny Tillman...
by Beth HollowayBeth HollowayElizabeth Ann Reynolds "Beth" Holloway, also previously known as Beth Twitty, is an American speech pathologist and motivational speaker. Holloway specializes in teaching special needs children in public schools...