ORANJESTAD, Aruba — A U.S. businessman was released from jail in Aruba on Tuesday and free to leave the island, although prosecutors continue to try to put him back behind bars as a suspect in the disappearance of his traveling companion.
Gary Giordano left prison in an SUV with his lawyers and made no statements as he drove off and headed to a hotel in the center of Oranjestad. Prosecutors expect him to leave the island at the first opportunity, but his immediate plans were not clear.
“Gary Giordano is happy to be out of prison, yet he is very uneasy,” said his Aruban attorney, Chris Lejuez. “He still feels something could go wrong and he could be back in prison.”
Giordano, who denies any wrongdoing in the disappearance of Robyn Gardner, was freed after nearly four months in custody under a court order issued by a judge who ruled prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence to justify holding him longer.
Prosecutors say they are still trying to build a case against him and will seek his extradition if an appeals court ruling expected today issues a reversal and orders the 50-year-old businessman back to jail.
“The case does not end here. Mr. Giordano will remain our prime suspect,” said Solicitor General Taco Stein.
Giordano has been a suspect since Aug. 5, three days after reporting to police that Gardner was apparently pulled out to sea while they were snorkeling off the southern tip of the island. Her body has never been found, leaving investigators with only a circumstantial case that a crime was even committed.
The case has been compared with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba in May 2005 on the last night of her high school graduation trip. Her body also was never found, and the prime suspect was detained for months before he eventually was released for lack of evidence.
Kelly Reed, a cousin of Gardner’s, said the family hopes attention to the case will generate leads.
“Needless to say, our family is very disappointed that even after all this time, we are no closer to finding out what happened to our Robyn,” Reed said in a statement. “We trust that the FBI and the Aruban authorities will continue their fervent efforts to investigate her disappearance.”
Giordano, the divorced owner of an employment-services company, first drew suspicion with what investigators felt were inconsistencies in his account of Gardner’s disappearance. Later, they learned he had taken out a $1.5 million accidental-death policy on her.
Gardner’s friends and family also had serious doubts about her disappearance, saying it was unlikely the 35-year-old woman from Frederick, Md., would have gone snorkeling in the first place.
