The European Commission has suspended €18 million in financial support earmarked for Sierra Leone this year, with Dutch Justice and Security Minister David van Weel linking the decision to Sierra Leone’s alleged failure to cooperate in the arrest and extradition of convicted Dutch drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, popularly known as “Bolle Jos.”
Van Weel confirmed the development on Thursday, October 1, saying the European Commission had halted the payment as pressure on Sierra Leone to cooperate with efforts to bring Leijdekkers to the Netherlands.
The Dutch minister, speaking during a meeting of European justice ministers in Luxembourg and in comments to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, said Sierra Leone could resolve the dispute by arresting and extraditing Leijdekkers.
Reuters reported that the suspended €18 million was expected to be paid to Sierra Leone this year. Van Weel further indicated that an additional €22.5 million earmarked for next year could also be withheld if Sierra Leone continues not to cooperate.
Leijdekkers, a Dutch national and wanted fugitive, has been sentenced in absentia in the Netherlands to 24 years in prison for cocaine trafficking. Reuters reports that the conviction involved the smuggling of more than seven tonnes of cocaine. He has also received multiple lengthy sentences in Belgium in separate drug-trafficking cases.
Van Weel described the European Commission’s decision as a strong signal to Sierra Leone and indicated that further pressure could be considered if efforts to secure Leijdekkers’ extradition do not succeed.
The development comes amid an ongoing dispute over Sierra Leone’s handling of the Dutch extradition request. The European Commission and the Government of Sierra Leone had not immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment on the latest decision.
The Sierra Leone Government had previously rejected reports linking the postponement of its 2026 EU budget-support disbursement to the Leijdekkers case, saying the European Commission’s decision was related to the timing of Sierra Leone’s request to amend its Financing Agreement and difficulties completing the required processes within the 2026 reporting cycle. The Government said the 2026 and 2027 disbursements had instead been proposed for rescheduling to 2027 and 2028 respectively.
The latest suspension therefore places the disputed extradition case at the centre of a wider financial and diplomatic disagreement between Sierra Leone, the Netherlands and the European Union.
