Key witness against Thagi about to be released, but security is not in place: report
Nabil B., the key witness whose testimony led to the life imprisonment of criminal kingpin Ridouan Taghi and several of his cronies, is about to be released from prison. Despite the risk of underworld figures targeting B.’s family to find out where he is, security for his loved ones is far from in place, sources involved told Parool.
Nabil B. was arrested in Amsterdam in January 2017 and turned state witness in the Marengo assassinations case in 2018. He has nearly served the reduced sentence he received for testifying against Taghi and his gang.
After his release, B. will be moved to an undisclosed location. But there are major concerns about the safety of his family and loved ones. And those concerns aren’t unwarranted. Since the Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced B.’s key witness deal in 2018, three men in B.’s direct vicinity have been assassinated.
His brother Reduan was gunned down at his Amsterdam business on 29 March 2018, six days after the OM announced that B. had turned state's evidence. B.’s lawyer, Derk Wiersum, was shot dead at his Amsterdam home in September 2019. And crime writer Peter R. de Vries, who was acting as an advisor and confidant to B., was assassinated in Amsterdam city center in July 2021.
The Dutch Safety Board (OVV) investigated the three men’s assassinations and concluded that the Dutch authorities dropped the ball across the board by systematically underestimating the dangers posed by Taghi and his associates. According to the OVV, the OM persistently prioritized investigative interests over safety, the different authorities failed to communicate with each other, and communication with B.’s loved ones was almost non-existent, partly due to mutual mistrust and resentment.
Now that B. is set to be released from prison and the risk for his family is increasing again, history is set to repeat itself, sources told Parool. The authorities’ communication with B.’s loved ones is constantly disrupted or almost completely absent. And almost no serious security measures have been taken.
“All the mistakes that were made previously and which the highly critical OVV report addressed seem to be happening again,” a source told Parool. “Apparently, more people have to die before government agencies like the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security and, for example, the various departments of the OM, truly start working together. A new tragedy is looming.”
Nabil B.’s lawyer, Peter Schouten, called it “madness” that security is “still not” properly arranged. “It’s about safety, safety, safety,” the lawyer told ANP. “I’ve been astonished for years that the OM doesn’t seem to understand this.” According to Schouten, it’s clear that the authorities learned nothing from the critical OVV report.
The OM told Parool that it cannot comment on specific security measures, but it did learn from the OVV report. “The safety of everyone involved has our full attention.”
The appeal in the Marengo case around Taghi and his gang is ongoing. The Marengo case revolves around five assassinations, two attempted killings, and the running of a criminal organization. The next hearing is scheduled for September 2.
