In an email interview with Dutch portal AD.nl, published today, cryptocurrency trader Alex Johnson said he and his wife, Luna Almaz, who were the last persons to see Smit alive, were being unfairly blamed for her death with no proof.

“With so much evidence that it was an accident due to youthful recklessness, it’s time to face the facts — she was not murdered.

“Her body was not thrown over the balcony and no one is guilty of her death,” AD.nl today quoted Johnson as saying.

“We also miss her. We are not responsible for her death and we are prepared to fight very hard if someone tries to get us into the suspects’ bench for a crime that never happened,” he explained in a series of encrypted emails to the website last week.

The Johnsons hosted Smit, then 18, at their 20th-floor unit on Dec 7 last year at Capsquare Residence, off Jalan Dang Wangi, in Kuala Lumpur.

Smit was found sprawled in the nude later that day on a 6th-floor balcony, where she was pronounced dead.

The police first classified the case as sudden death, but it was reopened this year after pressure from Smit’s family, who claim there were elements of foul play.

An inquest is underway to determine what happened and whether the case should be reopened.

Despite being the main suspects in the original police investigation and the last persons to see Smit, the Johnsons have not shown up to testify despite being subpoenaed by the Kuala Lumpur Coroner’s Court.

The AD.nl report states that it was Johnson who reached out to their reporter, Ton Voermans, after months of silence from the couple, who are believed to be in the US at present. He reportedly first told Ton he wants to tell his story, “but not everything”.

“Ivana’s family has put us in a position where we have to safeguard ourselves against the unjust legal prosecution (initiated by them),” Johnson, 44, said, adding he and Almaz, 31, experienced hellish conditions when put behind bars when the first case started.

For some 14 days or so, the couple was detained first in a police cell, and later at the Sungai Buloh prison.

Johnson claimed his head was shaven off and he was thrown into a group cell. There, his work in the blockchain trade finance circulated and he was targeted.

He claimed his wife had two nervous breakdowns in prison and was taken to the hospital at one point after collapsing due to stress. Johnson, meanwhile, got into a fight with “three money-hungry criminals” on his first night there.

After being released and cleared of suspicion, Johnson didn’t feel safe at their Capsquare Residence unit.

“Within 24 hours, people tried to kidnap our daughter and the nanny. For three months, we were terrified something would happen to us or our daughter.”

They eventually left Malaysia in mid-March after “losing everything”.

“We lost … our work, our companies, friends and our lives in Kuala Lumpur. We had no reason to stay and all reasons to leave. All because of the unfounded accusations something criminal had taken place without a splash of evidence.

“Does our story sound like that of a couple that had power or influence in that country? Wouldn’t you have left, under those circumstances, knowing your family would be in danger?” Johnson wrote to Ton in one email.

Asked why he and his wife had not shown up at the court to testify as part of the inquest, Johnson claimed they were “not summoned” and only received a “text about it” a few days before it started three months ago in August.

He further questioned why his family was expected to fly back to Malaysia to “once again subject ourselves to the pain”, adding they already explained themselves adequately to the police previously, and expressed concern they would be put in jail again.

Sex partners

Johnson also countered a former claim by Smit’s uncle, Fred Agenjo Weinhold, and the family that he and his wife had not reached out to them to apologise for being implicated in the case and to state they were innocent of the murder claims.

“We prayed in prison the family would gain strength now that they need it. After our release, we read the statements in the press. Then, we realised there is probably never a day when we can express our condolences to the family; they wanted a lot more.”

Asked on their earlier claims that they were frequent sex partners with Smit and that Almaz had sex with Smit hours before her death, which was published in a UK daily, Johnson said their relationship was “real, mutual, based on respect and honesty”, adding “we are not ashamed”.

Pointing out Smit had also used drugs at least six months prior to her death, which has been corroborated in court by a toxicologist, Johnson said it was the “hard truth” for her family to accept the life “she was much too young for”. He said they can’t be blamed for her lifestyle.

“We are parents ourselves. It is hard to imagine how hard it must be to bear even the slightest responsibility for the turn in life that this young lady had taken.

“But to blame us for her death without any evidence is wrong,” Johnson said, reiterating his innocence again.

Smit is also said to be a “party girl” and a heavy drinker. This has been similarly testified by some witnesses in court.

The AD.nl report had later quoted Fred’s response to Johnson’s claims as “painting a picture as if they were the victims”.

He said it was wrong for him to tell the family to “take responsibility” for Ivana’s life choices as it was he who chose to “do his thing” with her when she died on Dec 7, referring to Johnson’s claims that they were frequent sex partners and regularly had threesomes.

“Yes, we are shocked and disappointed that Ivana used drugs, and ask ourselves what else we could or should have done, but that does not detract them from their innocence. The Johnsons were responsible for Ivana in their house. They lied,” Fred said.

“There is no evidence that Ivana’s death was an accident. As for their fighting spirit, we will see what is stronger: the desperate fight of criminals with money to stay out of prison, or the fight for justice of the family that has lost its pride and joy,” he added.

“The suggestion that we are out for money is laughable. We have only one approach — justice for Ivana. The Smit family does not feel sorry for the Johnsons.

“The only one who is innocent in this story is their daughter, Joey,” Fred added, referring to the Johnsons’ 8-year-old daughter.

FMT previously reported a watching brief lawyer for the Johnsons being told to leave the Coroner’s Court during an inquest proceeding after his clients were a no-show and instead wanted a letter to be passed to Coroner Mahyon Talib to explain why.

She did not accept the letter.

The inquest, which was originally only scheduled for eight days in August, has since been extended to three months, with the final set of dates set for next week.

A total of 22 witnesses will have testified by its final date on Friday, Oct 26. A decision will then be reached after.

Three pathologists have testified as to how Smit died. Dutch native Dr Frank van de Goot said there is a chance Smit was dead before she fell while Dr Zunaizah Hilmi, testified Smit died because of blunt-force trauma due to falling.

The latter was verified by consultant forensics specialist Dr Nurliza Abdullah too, who is still testifying in the inquest.

Smit moved to Malaysia when she was three years old and lived for 13 years in Penang with her paternal grandparents.

Her body was repatriated to the Netherlands where she was laid to rest in her birth town of Roermond amid wide media coverage and international scrutiny.

Asked to respond to Johnson’s comments, SN Nair, the lawyer holding a watching brief for the Smits in the inquest, told FMT today that he would bring up these claims to Mahyon’s attention on Monday when the inquest convenes once again.