Murders committed by Caloh Wagoh were ordered by Ridouan Taghi: Prosecutor

Wanted fugitive Ridouan Taghi ordered outlaw motorcycle gang Caloh Wagoh to commit murders on his behalf, the Public Prosecutor said on Friday in a proforma hearing against members of the biker gang.

With that statement, the Public Prosecutor linked two of the biggest murder cases currently ongoing in the Netherlands.

The Caloh Wagoh case, referred to as the Eris process, revolves around 12 members of the biker gang, including leaders 48-year-old Delano R. and 70-year-old Greg R. They are charged with involvement in the assassinations of Jair Wessels in Breukelen, Zeki Yumusak in Rotterdam, and Farid Souhali in The Hague. All three victims had criminal records and all three were murdered in 2017. They are also charged with six counts of attempted murder or preparations for committing murder.

Earlier this week, the Telegraaf reported that Caloh Wagoh had been linked to six or seven other murders. But if this is the case, they haven't been added to the indictment yet.

According to the Public Prosecutor, the outlaw motorcycle gang had three "murder squads" who committed murders for the gang. Tony de G., a suspect-turned-informant in this case, told the authorities that he was a member of one of these squads. The squads were led by Delano R., who took his orders from Taghi, according to the Prosecutor.

Ridouan Taghi is currently the most wanted fugitive in the Netherlands. Key witness Nabil B. linked Taghi and the drug-centered gang around him to at least nine separate murders, as well as a series of attempted murders and never implemented murder plots. The case around Taghi is referred to as the Marengo process.

B. is a former member of Taghi's gang who made a deal with the Public Prosecutor to testify against the fugitive. B.'s lawyer Derk Wiersum was assassinated in front of his Amsterdam home last month. The police arrested a suspect in his murder on Tuesday. B.'s brother Reduan was assassinated a week after the Prosecutor announced it had made a key witness deal in this case.

The Prosecutor currently sees no reason to combine the Eris- and Marengo processes. There are no indications that the two key witnesses, Nabil B. in the Marengo process and Tony de G. in the Eris process, know each other and none of their statements mentioned the other, the Prosecutor said. They were also not active in their respective gangs in the same period.

"Taghi is being prosecuted in Marengo. Of course, his role in Eris will also be considered in the long term. At present, however, the focus is on the suspects who are already being prosecuted within Eris", the Prosecutor said. "The Public Prosecution Service does not consider it appropriate to prosecute Taghi simultaneously in Marengo and Eris."