The Public Prosecution Service did not have an adequate plan to properly protect the family of key witness Nabil B., and did not consider it necessary. This is apparent from a sound recording by lawyer Derk Wiersum, which was published today via One today and the website MarengoLeaks.com†
In the conversation, which was not previously made public, Wiersum and other lawyers look back on the murder of the brother of crown witness Nabil B. It took place in March 2018, six days after his brother was presented as a crown witness. The Public Prosecution Service assumes that he was killed in revenge, because Nabil B. had made incriminating statements about the organization of Ridouan Taghi. Wiersum was shot dead in front of his house in September 2019. The recording is from a few months before.
Publication initially prohibited
TV show One today intended to pay attention to Wiersum’s statements on Monday, but that was banned after the Dutch Bar Association had requested this in preliminary relief proceedings. One today now says that ‘after the verdict there have been consultations by both parties’. “A settlement has been reached because it is clear that publication does not need to be a concern for the safety of lawyers.”
In the recording, Wiersum says that the Public Prosecution Service had no clear plan to take protective measures. “There has never been a moment when the Public Prosecution Service has said: ‘Don’t worry, if Nabil signs, we will do everything anyway’. I have never been to a conversation where there was concrete talk about that security, and that security was not.”
Family Nabil B. against crown witness deal
The tape also shows that the family of Nabil B. has warned the Public Prosecution Service. “The family did not want the deal,” says Wiersum, because they knew how dangerous a key witness deal would be. According to him, they also sat around the table with Public Prosecution Service officials to warn them. ,,In that conversation they make clear how dangerous Taghi is and how much clout Taghi has. And about the fact that Taghi, if he couldn’t reach Nabil to get Nabil, would also get someone close to Nabil.”
According to Wiersum, the Public Prosecution Service has not done anything with the information that two brothers of Nabil, including the shot Reduan, have provided. They thought they would be the most logical targets. “That’s why they wanted promises from the Public Prosecution Service. They wanted to plan about security.” They stayed out. ,,The bottom line is that at that moment the Public Prosecution Service actually bounces that ball back to the family and says: ‘Just tell me what you want’. The risk is acknowledged, but underestimated.”
‘OM did not take retaliation into account’
The Public Prosecution Service had therefore not taken retaliation into account. The Public Prosecution Service has previously admitted that this was an incorrect estimate. Wiersum: ,,I was surprised about that in this case. The choices about safety are made on the basis of what happened in the past, while that is not really a guarantee for the future.” According to Wiersum, no analyzes have been made and the Public Prosecution Service said that there would be ‘no life-threatening danger’ for family members.
The ‘Wiersum tape’ has therefore also been published on the website MarengoLeaks.com. That website says it is ‘an organization that discloses and exposes sensitive information about the Dutch government’. The website calls on whistleblowers to share information and announces more “explosive revelations” about the Marengo trial, Ridouan Taghi and star witness Nabil B.
It OM says in a comment against One today the following. “As is known, the state of affairs surrounding the security of the family of the key witness in the Marengo trial is part of the investigation that the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) is currently conducting.” The Public Prosecution Service states that the police and the Public Prosecution Service have already admitted that the threat around crown witness Nabil B. was misjudged† “At the same time, the liquidation of a family member of a key witness was unprecedented until then. The family then ended up in a nightmare. The situation after the murder was also unprecedented and the police and the Public Prosecution Service were faced with an unprecedented security operation.”
Watch our videos below about Ridouan Taghi and the Marengo process:
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.
#Derk #Wiersum #audio #recording #surfaced #account #safety #Nabil #family