All three judges in an appeal court hearing about a convicted a drug smuggler have stepped down after the defence claimed that they were not impartial.

Joop M was sentenced to nine years for his part in smuggling large amounts of cocaine from South America to the port of Vlissingen in 2023 and is now appealing.

On Tuesday one of the judges stepped down because he had been the public prosecutor in the earlier trial, the Telegraaf reported. The man’s lawyers then demanded the other judges also leave because they doubted their impartiality.

The case gained notoriety because of the suicide of one of the undercover agents involved in bringing Joop M to justice. The officer, one of the most experienced members of the major crimes team, wanted to pull out of a lengthy drugs-related undercover operation but was forced to continue.

The officer lived next door to a cocaine trader and had a relationship with his wife. A committee later found his suicide to be the result of gross negligence on the part of his handlers. In 2024, a new undercover team was set up as a result .

The trial against Joop M will now be delayed until three new judges have been appointed. “It’s been one big cock up,” lawyer Michel van Stratum told the paper.

The judge’s former association with the public prosecution office makes for a “tainted judge”, he said, and put in doubt the wisdom of allowing ex-prosecutors to take up the office.