Prosecutors satisfied with sentences in Marengo trial; two suspects to appeal

The Public Prosecution Service is pleased that all 17 suspects in the extensive Marengo trial have been convicted. Alleged organized crime leader Ridouan Taghi was convicted and sentenced to life in prison along with his co-defendants, Saïd R. and Mario R., for charges brought against them in a long-running case involving six assassinations, four attempted killings, and plans to murder several others.

"The victim's relatives now know who was responsible for the deaths of their family members," a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said. The other 11 suspects in the case were also convicted. Their sentences ranged from 21 months to more than 23 years.

"Despite everything that happened, and the fact that this case took six years, there are now 17 convictions; Justice has simply run its course in this case, as in all cases," said the OM spokesperson.

The court's ruling on Tuesday in the Marengo trial is an "important moment in a long-running case." This is what outgoing Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz said in a response on X. "This case has had a great impact on our society."

Yeşilgöz added, "Organized crime has increasingly hardened and become a bigger threat to us all. We can only react to this by standing firmly for our rule of law and ensuring that these criminals are not given any space."

The minister has "huge respect" for anyone fighting against organized crime daily. "We will continue to do everything we can to guarantee our rule of law, the security of society, and everyone involved in this procedure because it affects everything we stand for as a free and safe country."

The OM has the opportunity to file an appeal if the office believes sentencing was improper with any of the suspects, but the organization was not yet able to say whether they would appeal any portion of the decision.

Said R.'s lawyer, Mark Dunsbergen, announced after the trial that they will appeal the conviction. R. is considered to be Taghi's right-hand man. Mario R. will also appeal the decision, his counsel, Guy Weski, confirmed after the trial.

The lawyer for key prosecution witness Nabil B. had expected the ten-year jail sentence but hoped for a lower one. Prosecutors recommended a lower sentence for B. due to his cooperation with their office during the trial, by giving incriminating statements about the crime syndicate.

Attorney Onno de Jong said after the trial that he believes that the court could have shaved more time off the sentence. According to the court ruling, the trial took too long, and B. was also acquitted on one charge against him. De Jong said that this was not adequately taken into account.

Several other suspects were given a sentence reduction due to the length of the trial. De Jong did not say whether B. would appeal the sentence when he commented after the hearing.

The judges wrote that B. was, "A reliable, trustworthy witness." Because of this, they determined that B.'s testimony as a key witness "may, therefore, be used as evidence."