The appeal in the drug case Maggiora, which revolves around a drug gang that operated from Meppel, has been postponed by the court in Leeuwarden. The lawyer of one of the suspects has discovered that the statements of Ivo J., the gang member who made forty incriminating statements after his arrest, have not been fully put on paper by the police.
The lawyers of four gang members who have appealed were actually allowed to hear public prosecutor Henk Mous and lawyer Evert Kuiters as witnesses about the case today. Mous led the investigation into the Meppeler drug gang, which was rounded up in 2015. Kuiters was J.’s lawyer at the time. Lawyer Sanne Schuurman, who represents suspect Mel E. from Meppel, says he has evidence that the Public Prosecution Service (OM) has made secret agreements with Ivo J.
Mous would have promised J. (32) that he would receive a lower sentence if he would cooperate. According to Schuurman, a secret attempt was made to make a deal with J., without the knowledge of the court in Assen, which ruled on the case in 2017, and the lawyers of co-defendants. That’s not allowed. The judiciary may make agreements with criminals, but must be open about this.
Schuurman says he has documents with mail and app traffic, which show, among other things, that Mous and the national witness protection officer had contact with J., gave him directions through his lawyer Kuiters and that the Public Prosecution Service even paid J.’s lawyer costs. paid.
Lower penalty demand
Mous has always maintained during the criminal trial in Assen between 2015 and 2017 that Schuurman’s claims are not correct. J. received a considerably lower sentence because he would have cooperated on his own, so that the Public Prosecution Service had enough evidence to convict the other men. In his own words, Mous also included the fact that J. was in danger and had to go into hiding because of his candor.
He demanded 3.5 years in prison against J., who was the right-hand man of gang leader Saied H. (38). Mous demanded ten years against him. J. was eventually sentenced to three years in prison and H. eight years. Five co-defendants received sentences of up to three years in prison and four of them appealed, including Schuurman’s client Mel E. (39), who was given one year in prison.