Prime suspect Taghi tomorrow for the first time at Marengo case, one of the largest trials ever
Ridouan Taghi has never wanted to appear at a hearing in his case since he was arrested in Dubai a year and a half ago. Tomorrow he is expected in court for the first time.

"Because the court wants all suspects to be there," says his lawyer Inez Weski. "So we'll all be there."

Tomorrow morning the court in Amsterdam will start with the substantive treatment of the trial against Taghi and his 16 co-defendants. They may then respond to the charge. It was actually planned to start in February, but the court postponed the hearing for a month due to corona.

After three years of preparatory hearings, the Marengo trial has become one of the most controversial lawsuits in the Netherlands ever. It fits seamlessly into the list of mega-processes of recent years: Passage liquidation process (duration: ten years), the Holleeder case (file size: half a million pages) and the MH17 process (budgeted costs: 54 million euros).

Such exact figures are lacking for the Marengo trial, but it is certain that this case, measured in time, file pages and costs, is also gigantic. After tomorrow dozens of session days will follow, spread out over the coming year. A sentence is not expected until 2022 and ultimately, of course, a judgment.

Lawyer Inez Weski at the extra secure court in Amsterdam Osdorp on January 13, 2021 ANP

Where the case started with two suspects and one murder, the investigation ended with 17 suspects and a multitude of crimes. The group, in varying composition, is held responsible for six executed liquidations, a number of attempts to do so and a series of plans. The total number of murder orders in this case is thirteen according to the Public Prosecution Service.

Some targets are still alive because they could barely escape from a shooting or were in hiding in haste. Sometimes victims crawled through the eye of the needle without even realizing it.

A few liquidations failed because the gunmen did not monitor their phones, the weapon faltered or the police towed the prepared (stolen) getaway car.

The seventeen suspects would have worked together as spotter (someone who keeps an eye on the intended victims), head (shooter), driver, controller or client. In mutual reports they are said to have decided on life and death in a chilling tone.

Their undisputed leader was Ridouan Taghi , says the OM. As a cocaine wholesaler, he is said to have issued one murder order after another from Dubai.

Before and after
The Marengo trial is about assassination orders from 2015 and 2016. Taghi is also associated with liquidations before that time, but is not prosecuted for that. He also ordered murders after that time, says justice. He would have used Caloh Wagoh motorcycle club for this. This group is on trial in a separate process, which is handled simultaneously with the Marengo process.

The most important evidence against the suspects comes from intercepted communications and statements by crown witness Nabil B., who stepped out of Taghi's organization when he was threatened with murder. B. is also on trial in the Marengo trial for his involvement in liquidations. In exchange for his statements, the Public Prosecution Service will demand 12 years in prison instead of 24 years.

Until now, the Public Prosecution Service has not missed an opportunity to emphasize that these are cold-blooded, serious criminals. The defense, on the other hand, wants to demonstrate that the Public Prosecution Service has gone too far in many respects: with the cracking of the server that yielded millions of messages as evidence, with the interpretation of all those messages, with the use of a crown witness who would be unreliable and with unorthodox detection methods such as shadowing lawyers.

Rule of law test
"This trial is the ultimate test for the rule of law," says criminal lawyer Jillis Roelse, who is following the case closely. "There is discussion about a large number of points of principle. The interests of both the Public Prosecution Service and the defense are enormous."

According to Roelse, Marengo is also the process in which "our naivety is finally shaken off". "For many people in the criminal investigation system, this case has been a wake-up call to the enormous impact of organized crime."

In the course of the trial, both the brother and the attorney of the crown witness were murdered. A large number of participants in the Marengo trial are protected: prosecutors, judges and some lawyers. Since the murder of lawyer Derk Wiersum in 2019, every hearing has been accompanied by strict security measures.

“
The threat posed by the organization around Taghi is undiminished

Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, NCTV
It shows how much serious crime has hardened, says Hans Nelen, professor of criminology at the University of Maastricht. "In the nineties, the time of Willem Holleeder, there was also intimidation and violence. But it seems that the current generation of criminals is more ruthless."

That is why heavily armed agents will again be at the door of the court tomorrow. "The threat posed by the organization around Taghi is undiminished," says Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, who coordinates the security of process participants as National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security.

The main suspects are detained, but the authorities are still taking their clout into account. "This means that we, together with the security services, the police and the Public Prosecution Service, continuously conduct threat analyzes and look at what measures are needed," Aalbersberg said.

Taghi become a hero
On the street, Taghi has become a hero among some young people, notes criminologist Abdessamad Bouabid of Erasmus University in Rotterdam - just as Willem Holleeder became an idol before.

According to Bouabid, this has to do with a certain mentality that some of the young people identify with. Fussing about everyone, being tough, making money quickly and gaining status. "Taghi is the epitome of these street values. He has fooled the police for a long time and is someone who knows how to hit even the untouchables."

Taghi's lawyer is now green and yellow annoyed by all the stories that have been circulating about her client since the start of the trial. “Every line between law, injustice and fact has been broken in the public debate, only the sensation around my client seems to count,” attorney Inez Weski said earlier.

"Lies and Rumors"
Taghi also does not want to pay any attention to his case, according to the first interrogation after his arrest, which Het Parool published about. He denies everything: "Truth-finding does not exist in my case. Everything is based on lies and rumors. Everything that happens in the Netherlands, I have probably done."

That he will eventually get a life sentence seems to be certain for the main suspect himself. "It is better to spend the money from this mock trial on the teacher shortage, on care, on the police shortage, than on me."