Rapper Shindy is suddenly very quiet. When he was called as a witness in the trial against clan boss Arafat Abou-Chaker in Berlin, he refused to testify, the “Berliner Morgenpost” reported. The 33-year-old now faces a fine and, in the worst case, imprisonment.
The chamber wanted to know a lot, but Shindy didn’t want to say anything. The rapper was asked how he knew Abou-Chaker and Bushido, whether he had noticed violence between the business partners and whether he had felt threatened himself. The answer was always the same: “55”. On the advice of his attorney, Shindy declined to testify, citing Section 55 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Fifty-five
Those who are called to the witness stand have rights. Before you accuse yourself of a crime by answering, you can refuse to testify. Benedikt Stehle, Shindy’s lawyer, explained that there was another process against his client about Abou-Chaker. So every question about the clan boss will not be answered.
The only problem: the Chamber did not share this opinion. Shindy has no right to refuse to testify and should now pay a fine of 1,000 euros. It’s either that or the rapper gets eight days in jail. Stehle has already announced that he intends to raise an objection. But if the court insists, Shindy should provide the answers.
Long court battle
The trial of Arafat Abou-Chaker and three of his brothers has been going on for two years now. According to the indictment, after Bushido wanted to dissolve the business relationship in 2017, crimes were committed. The four men are charged with assault, false imprisonment, coercion and insult.