Yesterday was eleven years ago that the popular Curaçao politician Helmin Wiels was shot dead in broad daylight on the beach of Marie Pampoen in Willemstad where he went to get some fish. This May 5, 2013 started as a carefree Sunday, but turned into a pitch black page. The whole of Curaçao was deeply shocked and a days-long manhunt for the perpetrators followed. Ultimately, three men went to prison for the murder: the shooter, the murder broker and a former minister. Still, many people think the case has not been solved.
In the six-part podcast ‘WIELS the murder case’, program maker Natasja Gibbs looks for answers. What is the story behind the murder of Helmin Wiels? Why did he have to die? And why are many people on the island still afraid to talk about the murder? All six episodes of ‘WIELS the murder case’ can now be heard at BNNVARA through the free NPO Listening app. The episodes appear weekly on the other podcast platforms.
Natasja Gibbs: “I remember it all very well, I was working as a correspondent on the island at the time. That day, barely ten kilometers from the murder scene, I received a call from a colleague who had seen it happen with his own eyes. The murder has held the island in its grip for a long time and the murder case has never let go of me. Because how is it possible that three people have been arrested but still nothing is known about the motive? You would think that answers would be easy to find on such a small island as Curaçao. But precisely because the island is so small, many people do not dare to talk.”
The impact of a political assassination
Helmin Wiels was murdered more than ten years after the murder of Pim Fortuyn. The murder of Fortuyn is etched in the memory of many Dutch people and has permanently changed not only the political climate, but also the entire society. Just like Fortuyn, Wiels was a striking politician with his radical statements and his rebellion against the prevailing political structure and culture. At the time Helmin Wiels was murdered, he was the leader of the largest political party on the island and a man with many friends and supporters, but certainly also many enemies. In the podcast series, Natasja looks for answers. She travels to Curaçao, speaks with relatives and those involved and does everything she can to speak to the former Minister of Finance, who has been sentenced to 30 years in prison as the perpetrator of this murder.
Watch the trailer for ‘WIELS the murder case‘
