OM: lawyers in murder case Derk Wiersum use ‘big words’ | Inland

Follow the messages from court reporter Saskia Belleman at the bottom of this article.

The lawyers of suspects Giermo B. and Moreno B. have argued, among other things, that the judiciary is guilty of deception and that the entire, very extensive criminal investigation “can be thrown into the trash” and amounts to “an attack on the rule of law from within.”

“Wow…” is how one of the officers reacted on Tuesday in the extra-secure courtroom at Schiphol, during the last day of the trial. “We can understand lawyers who stand up for their clients. But has these words been thought through?”

Last week, the Public Prosecution Service demanded life sentences against both suspects. According to their lawyers, conclusive evidence is lacking and the court must acquit the duo.

crown witness

Lawyer Derk Wiersum (44) was shot dead on September 18, 2019 at his house in Amsterdam-Buitenveldert. He was counsel for Nabil B., the key witness in the extensive liquidation process Marengo. Ridouan Taghi is the prime suspect in that trial. In March 2018, B.’s brother was murdered, shortly after the judiciary announced that a key witness deal with B. had been concluded. On July 6, Peter R. de Vries was shot in the center of Amsterdam. He succumbed to his injuries nine days later. De Vries acted as confidential counselor for crown witness B.

The originators of the murders are still under investigation. The link with the Marengo process is emphatically in the picture.

In their pleadings, the lawyers have put forward alternative scenarios. Wiersum may have been the victim of a robbery that got out of hand, in which the perpetrator would have targeted his Rolex. According to the lawyers, a (failed) kidnapping is also a possibility. The Public Prosecution Service wiped the floor with these scenarios on Tuesday. “Completely implausible”, according to the Public Prosecution Service, because the alternatives can in no way be traced to the findings of the investigation in the file.

The court’s verdict is scheduled for October 11. Both the lawyer of the relatives of the victim Wiersum and the lawyers of the suspects have indicated that they think that date is very far away. The court is examining whether the decision can be made earlier. She is also expected to comment sooner on the suspects’ requests for termination of their pre-trial detention.

Only Moreno B. exercised his right to the last word. He repeated that he is innocent. “I am not a murderer.”

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