The trial was overshadowed by three murders, all of which appear to be related to the case. Less than a week after the first hearing, a brother of the key witness was shot dead.
In 2019, just before a next hearing, his lawyer Derk Wiersum was murdered. Even fresher in the memory is the murder of Peter R. de Vries, who has acted as an advisor to the crown witness since 2020. in that case was jailed for life yesterday against the two suspects.
Heavily armed cops and soldiers
The murders sparked a massive security operation, which continues to this day, with heavily armed officers and even the leger on the street, a drone in the air and access roads that are closed as suspects pass in armored cars.
The extreme threat resulted in Nabil B. having great difficulty finding new lawyers. A number of counselors did their work anonymously for months for security reasons, which is unique in the Netherlands.
Troubles
The trial was also marked by constant squabbles with the key witness. Several times he suspended his cooperation with the judiciary, from anger about inadequate protection measures for his family.
The extent to which the government has failed to do so is currently being investigated by the Dutch Safety Board. He also looks at the state of affairs at Derk Wiersum and Peter R. de Vries.
‘Not to be trusted’
In the courtroom, session after session was discussed about Nabil B.’s reliability. The defense calls him a big liar. Although the Public Prosecution Service maintains that he speaks the truth, in the course of the trial a other side of B. to light.
It turned out that he secretly had a telephone in prison, which he had previously denied. The messages he sent from the cell showed that he wanted to screw the state with his crown witness deal: “Suck it all out. To the last cent.” According to lawyers, the umpteenth proof that B. cannot be trusted.
Leaky Lawyers
In the courtroom there was a permanently quarrelsome atmosphere, with tensions running high, especially between the Public Prosecution Service and the legal profession.
The relationship became even more sour when it came out that the Public Prosecution Service had left two lawyers shadows† They may have met the fugitive Taghi in Dubai, which turned out to be incorrect.
The judges seemed at times desperate in their efforts to keep their eyes on the substance of the case. Trust in the courts has also been eroded. Sessions were often chaotic and lawyers were often dissatisfied with court decisions.
No right to speak
The court quickly finished reviewing the file. Most suspects remain silent in all keys. Also striking: none of the relatives of the six murdered victims made use of the right to speak.
In the coming days, the Public Prosecution Service will once again list the evidence in the case. The indictment ends on June 28 with the sentencing demands. A number of life sentences is to be expected.
Then the lawyers begin their plea. It is not yet known when the court will rule. In any case, Taghi is not interested, he indicated in a police interrogation: “If the judge gives me life tomorrow: ok, so be it. Next case.“
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