With more than 50 years of experience, Spong has built an impressive career, handling both national and international criminal cases. His practice covers not only criminal law, but also extends to medical disciplinary cases and Antillean criminal cases.
Gerard Spong, born on the 9th of June 1946 in Paramaribo, is a renowned Dutch lawyer specialising in criminal law.
He is associated with the firm Spong Advocaten, based at Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. Spong is known for his personal involvement in criminal cases and has developed particular expertise in cassation cases. In addition to his work in criminal law, his practice extends to disciplinary cases and Antillean criminal cases, giving him a versatile profile as a lawyer. With more than 50 years of experience in both national and international criminal cases, Spong has established himself as one of the leading figures in Dutch criminal law practice.
Gerard Spong moved to the Netherlands in 1962 and settled in Oegstgeest. In 1967, he began his academic career in Amsterdam, where he studied first political science and later law. After graduating in 1973, Spong returned to Suriname, where he was sworn in as a lawyer.
In 1976, Spong decided to return to Amsterdam, where he founded the law firm Wladimiroff & Spong Advocaten with Mischa Wladimiroff. During this period, he developed his expertise in criminal law.
Spong’s breakthrough as a lawyer came in 1978 with a high-profile case. He defended three members of the Rote Armee Fraktion (RAF). These RAF members had been arrested in the Netherlands in 1977 and were detained in Maastricht. Spong, then still at the beginning of his career, saw an excellent opportunity in this case. The defence opposed West Germany’s extradition request and pleaded for the suspects to be recognised as political refugees. Despite their efforts, the three RAF members were eventually extradited to Germany in October 1978.
Gerard Spong has handled a series of high-profile cases in his long career as a criminal lawyer, often not shunning the media spotlight. His portfolio includes a broad spectrum of high-profile court cases, which attracted public attention and sometimes led to controversial verdicts.
In the 1980s, Spong was involved in some sensational cases. In 1982, he defended a defendant in a murder case in which a seven-year-old girl was the victim. Two years later, he pleaded for a pardon for Aage Meinesz, a known burglar who was seriously ill.
One of Spong’s most high-profile cases was the defence of a GP from The Hague in 1985. The doctor was accused of murdering four elderly people in a care home, but claimed it was euthanasia. After an initial sentence of one year in prison, the doctor was acquitted on appeal due to illegally obtained evidence.
There are several cases that underline Spong’s willingness to take on even the most challenging and mediagenic criminal cases, making him a prominent figure in Dutch criminal law practice.
In 2023, Gerard Spong will have been in the business for 50 years. ‘Grootmeester’ is the compelling story of his colourful life, chronicled by Gerlof Leistra and Patricia Jimmink. Dutch criminal lawyer Gerard Spong was born in Paramaribo, the son of Suriname’s only psychiatrist. He spent his childhood on the grounds of ‘s Lands Psychiatrische Inrichting. Two years before the 1982 December killings, he narrowly escaped death. Starting as a young lawyer in Paramaribo, Spong developed a high-profile practice in The Hague, and later Amsterdam. In his long career, he assisted, among others, the right-hand man of drug baron Johan V., war criminal Pieter Menten and RAF suspects. He also advised the Surinamese government in the criminal case against Desi Bouterse. As candid as he is flamboyant, Spong recounts the highs and lows of his life and career. In Grootmeester, Leistra and Jimmink, who also spoke to numerous people close to him, captivatingly unravel the secret of one of the Netherlands’ top lawyers.
