Demanded for life against Ridouan Taghi and four co-defendants in the Netherlands | Abroad

“He was the head of an organization dedicated to committing murders,” the prosecutor said. “He was the one who made all the decisions.”

Four co-defendants also received life sentences. This concerns the brothers Mao and Mario R. (47 and 42), Mohamed R. (40) and Achraf B. (29). According to the Public Prosecution Service, they were involved in several murders or attempts to do so or were high in Taghi’s organization.

About Taghi, the prosecutor said: “All the lines of the various murders converge on him. He makes all the decisions and they are about life and death. Taghi has left a trail of devastation and grief and exercised total control and terror.” According to the judiciary, he was “particularly persistent — once on a death list, someone can’t get rid of it.” The other sentences varied from almost six years to more than 26 years.

In March 2018, the ball started rolling in the trial after the judiciary announced that it has a key witness. Regrettant Nabil B. is said to have belonged to Taghi’s supposed gang and made a series of statements against his former accomplices in exchange for a reduced sentence. He heard Tuesday demands ten years in prison.

Less than a week after the hearing in March 2018, B.’s brother Reduan was shot dead. In September 2019, the murder of B.’s lawyer Derk Wiersum followed. The murder of the Dutch crime journalist Peter R. de Vries is also associated with Taghi. It is believed that De Vries’ role as Nabil B.’s confidant in the Marengo trial has proved fatal to him. However, these three murders are not part of this process.