ORANJESTAD (CMC):

An appeals court in Aruba has ruled that the prime suspect in the disappearance of American high- school student, Natalee Holloway, should not be rearrested.

The court, Thursday, upheld the refusal by the investigating judge to order pre-trial detention of Joran van der Sloot, who is currently attending college in The Netherlands.

"The court is of the opinion that there is a lack of sufficient facts and circumstances substantiating serious grounds for the suspicion of the suspect's involvement in the crimes for which he is being held responsible by the prosecution," it said.

But prosecutor Dop Kruimel said the investigation remains open, agreeing that "the evidence has to be very, very strong" for a person to be rearrested.

After a Dutch television programme aired video February 3 of van der Sloot talking about the case, an investigative judge said there was enough evidence to reopen the inquiry against him.

But the same judge denied a prosecution request that van der Sloot be rearrested.

Last week, Aruban authorities questioned van der Sloot in The Netherlands several days after the video showed that he was with Holloway when she died.