Lawyer: Alleged crime boss Taghi did not plot attack on Princess Amalia, PM Rutte
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) must correct false information about alleged crime boss Ridouan Taghi, his lawyer Inez Weski said on Monday in the high-security court in Amsterdam Osdorp, where she resumed her plea in the Marengo trial.
Over the weekend, De Telegraaf reported that Taghi allegedly plotted an attack on Princess Amalia and Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Speaking on behalf of Taghi, Weski called this allegation “false, unsubstantiated information.” The lawyer called on the OM to clearly state which information was correct and which was not. “The OM has a duty to show that it still has some concern for the process and its fairness.”
De Telegraaf also reported on Saturday that Taghi and Mohammed B., the man who murdered Theo van Gogh, write each other letters. The two were detained together in the high-security penitentiary in Vught until B. was transferred last year. According to Weski, the newspaper suggested that the two passed coded messages to each other, but that is completely incorrect. She called on the OM to make the letters public. “The client expressly wishes that.”
In a short response, the public prosecutor said that Taghi’s correspondence can be made public, “but that does not offer a 100 percent guarantee that no veiled messages were passed on.” She also said that questions about media publications “have no place in this criminal trial.”
Taghi (44) is the main suspect in the Marengo Trial, which revolves around six murders and multiple attempted murders. The OM demanded life in prison against him. Weski started her plea last week, for which the court set aside multiple days this month and in December. She believes the OM should not have prosecuted Taghi and that the court should acquit him.
