One of the Netherlands' eight most wanted criminals has turned out to be in jail in Belgium. To the embarrassment of the Dutch justice authorities, the fact that man is serving a ten-year sentence there only became known after they had released their "most wanted" list. 

The list was revealed on Dutch public TV on Tuesday evening and was also published online. Shortly afterwards it became clear that one of the eight was already in custody - but not in the Netherlands.

Franky Eeckhout

Franky Eeckhout was arrested, convicted and jailed in 2008 in neighbouring Belgium. He was found guilty on several counts. In 1991 Mr Eeckhout was charged in the Netherlands for serious sex crimes. He was arrested, but allowed to await his trial outside prison and disappeared shortly afterwards. The Netherlands had asked Belgium for his extradition in 2007, but this request was turned down and no information on his whereabouts was supplied.

Anonymity lifted
The "most wanted" list is a novelty in the Dutch justice system. Dutch law attaches great value to the the protection of suspects by witholding their identity. National Prosecutor Harm Brouwer gave permission to reveal the names of the eight criminals and ask the public to help police locate the men. A statement by the prosecutor explained that other methods have so far failed to trace them. Five of them are suspects and three are convicts who have sentences pending.

The list is not exhaustive, because not all cases are helped by public exposure. The prosecutor's office explained that sometimes it is better to investigate in silence.

Police want to know...
What the police are asking the public:

Do you know where any of these people are?
Do you possess any information about any of them which you have not yet told the police about?
The Crime Information Squad can be reached at +31 343 57 8844 or
+31 79 345 8 999.
Within the Netherlands, the toll-free number is 0800-6070.

	Fouad El Marzouki - is suspected of murdering two neighbours in the city of Nijmegen, by the names of Mientje Barthelen-Thijssen and Mientje Aarts-Sewalt. They were gruesomely killed in 2003.
	Maikel Sno - is suspected to have fired the fatal shots that killed 19-year-old Ishmael Gumbs in a playground in Amsterdam on 21 September 2009. Maikel Sno was born 14 April 1973 in Paramaribo, Surinam. He has a golden tooth, wears an earring and has a piercing. He may have grown fatter and look older than in the picture.
	Dino Soerel - is probably the best-known name on the list. On 30 December 2009 he was sentenced in absentia to 8 years in prison. Soerel is seen as a big shot in Amsterdam's criminal underworld and is wanted for several serious crimes, including executions. Dino Soerel is half Dutch, half Surinamese and has a South American appearance. He is aged 49, about 1.85 metre tall and has remarkably dark eyes.
	René Pouw - aged 33, was sentenced in 2005 to 5 years in jail for drug trafficking. He failed to return from weekend leave in April 2006 and has not been seen since. He still has to serve 3.5 years.
	Estin Habibovic - was involved in an extremely violent robbery in the town of Stein in southern Limburg province. He is 33, originally from Bosnia-Hercegovina, and about 1.80 metre tall.
	Evert Sijahailatua - is of Moluccan-Dutch origins and belongs to a group of criminal mercenaries. All group members wear the same Chinese tattoo on their backs. Evert Sijahailatua is suspected of involvement in an execution in Amsterdam. He is 29 years of age, 1.70 metre tall and considered very violent. Phone the police if you know more about him.
	Sharif Korz - is suspected of having killed 42-year-old John Meijers on New Year's morning of 2000. Sharif Korz has been sentenced to 12 years in prison but fled, pending his appeal.