The family of the star witness’s purged brother, Nabil B., welcomes the Dutch security committee’s report on the safety of people around the Marengo case. It is stated that the prosecutor’s office at that time failed to protect Nabil B., who was the key witness of the comprehensive process. His brother, Reduan, was killed in Amsterdam in March 2018.
“The report confirms what we have known all along: the system of tolerance is inadequate, innocent lives are at risk, and prosecutors are negligent about our safety,” the family said in a statement.
Not only was Reduan killed, but Nabil B.’s lawyer Derk Wiersum and his confidant Peter R. de Vries were also purged. The family said in a statement, referring to the last two people, “First, we lost three people who were very dear to us. In addition, our carefully constructed lives have been destroyed, and after all these years, we still have no hope of a safe, social and meaningful life. For years, we felt that the prosecutor and the state had failed.”
I insisted on security.
In its report released today, the Dutch Security Board concludes that many signals were missed by police and prosecutors before the murders. In addition, various services related to surveillance and investigations worked in the opposition.
The main criticism of OVV revolves around fragmentation:
Reduan, who had previously had nothing to do with his brother’s criminal activities, was known to be afraid days before his brother’s death. He was afraid of taking revenge on Ridouan Taghi, whom his brother would testify against. He slept poorly and complained in WhatsApp messages about the security he received from prosecutors.
OVV emphasizes that Reduan repeatedly insisted on safety for himself and his family members. “At the time of the attack, no special security measures were taken for him,” the report said. The only agreement was that Reduan would be arrested with “high priority” if he reported it to the police.
In a statement, his relatives call for a complete overhaul of the tolerance system: “The current system is inhumane and costs lives. There should be no more victims and no one should wait for our fate.”
In a written response, police find the Dutch Security Committee’s conclusions painful in some areas, but police nevertheless say they support them. Police Chief Henk van Essen said: “We have not adequately addressed the concerns of those who need protection and their relatives. We can and should learn from this.”
The public prosecutor’s office also wants to “learn lessons” from the comprehensive report. “It can be concluded, retrospectively and analytically, that the surveillance and security system was not prepared for this form of excessive force,” OM said in a statement.
In the surveillance and security system, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, police, intelligence and security units work together. Police admit that the system is no longer sufficient in the face of hardened organized crime. “Especially when criminals choose backup targets when their original intended target is out of range. This leads to an almost unlimited and never-ending demand for surveillance and security.”
The murder of the star witness’s brother is believed to be in retaliation for Nabil B.
“Learn Persuasive Lessons”
The Dutch Safety Board makes a number of recommendations in its report. For example, authorities responsible for security should have full access to available information.
Even a leniency agreement can only be declared after the safety of those involved has been ensured. The latter did not happen with Reduan. Only a week after it was announced that Nabil B. would testify in the case against Taghi and his alleged right-hand man, his brother was killed.
Attorney General Gerrit van der Burg, the most senior officer in the Office of the Attorney General, says he supports the recommendations: “Looking back, there are persuasive lessons to be drawn from the current report.” As early as 2019, the prosecution and police admitted in an interview with relatives that they had misjudged the risks to the family of the key witness.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the improvements were “launched in the meantime”.
Cabinet advocates urgency
In its initial response, the cabinet says it supports “the urgency conveyed by the research report”. Minister of Justice and Security Yeşilgöz emphasized that the increasing threat, constant pressure to monitor and secure the system, and the Board’s recommendations should further reform the system. There will be a broader government response in six to eight weeks.
There are also calls from the House of Representatives to take the Dutch Security Council’s report seriously. This includes words like “disturbing,” “sad,” “abusive,” and “serious.” Many deputies, such as Yeşilgöz, are pushing for a revision of the system.
Contrary to what the Minister had previously suggested, D66 MP Sneller now sees little in expanding the tolerance system to allow more people to benefit. Schneller: “The priority should be to improve the system before we start looking at more deals with key witnesses.”
His PvdA colleague, Mutluer, also wonders if the ordinance will be extended unless the safety of family members of repentance witnesses can be guaranteed.
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
