Ridouan Taghi has filed a complaint against the Public Prosecution Service (OM) because of the alleged attempt by the State to eliminate him. A former soldier of the Commando Corps is said to have been asked by secret services to secretly take Taghi out of Dubai or even kill him.
This emerged at the beginning of this month during a session at the military chamber in the court of Arnhem. The lawyer of soldier Sil A., who is suspected of drug smuggling, among other things, then said that in 2019 A. was asked to investigate to what extent it was an option to remove Taghi from Dubai or to ‘neutralize’ it. Ultimately, the top criminal was arrested in Dubai at the end of that year.
‘That is literally said’
According to A.’s now former lawyer, Michael Ruperti, his client had a secret meeting in 2019 with the Public Prosecution Service, intelligence services AIVD and MIVD, the national criminal investigation department, the Special Interventions Service (DSI) and the service that deals with the deployment of commandos (SOCOM).
It said that Taghi was probably staying in Dubai and that an attempt was made to pick him up through diplomatic channels. According to Ruperti, an unknown public prosecutor then asked SOCOM to also investigate the possibilities of picking up Taghi himself during a secret mission.
“And if that didn’t work, neutralize Taghi. That is literally said,” said Ruperti, who emphasized that the intelligence services objected to such an operation.
Commando Sil A. would have investigated after those discussions and said that such a mission was feasible.
OM: Murder or kidnapping was never discussed
According to the Public Prosecution Service, Taghi was never kidnapped or killed and there was no plan to do so. The prosecutor said in court today that “at no point was it considered to kidnap, incapacitate or even kill Taghi.”
Taghi’s lawyer Inez Weski is not convinced and says that a report was filed last week. This week, Taghi’s defense has the last word in the Marengo trial in the extra-secure court in Amsterdam. Weski fears for the safety of her client: “We don’t know if the murder plans still exist.”
Lawyer must be heard
Weski wants A.’s lawyer, Michael Ruperti, to be heard today as a witness. He is present in Amsterdam today, but it is not yet clear whether the court will agree to that request. Weski also wants Sil A. and the unknown public prosecutor who allegedly gave the order to be heard in the trial against her client.
A life sentence has been demanded against Taghi, because in the eyes of the Public Prosecution Service he has been the client in several murders and attempted murders. In the Marengo trial, a total of six suspects have been demanded life imprisonment.
Taghi is also associated with the murders of the brother of key witness Nabil B., his lawyer Derk Wiersum and his confidant Peter R. de Vries. Those murders are not officially part of the Marengo trial. The verdict is on October 20.
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