He who talks sleeps, as it is said in the underworld. Crown witnesses who open up about fellow criminals to the police and the judiciary are seen as traitors and are in danger of life. And if the key witness himself is too well protected, family and even lawyers are also at great risk. The fate of the brother of key witness Nabil B. and lawyer Derk Wiersum, and his adviser Peter R. de Vries is known. Crime journalist Marian Husken and podcast journalist Maike van Leeuwen made a series of podcasts about the phenomenon: Who talks, who sleeps.
The two speak as protagonists of controversial criminal cases with key witnesses who have played and are still playing: the lawyers, judges, prosecutors and people from the criminal world.
The result is an insight into the key witness deals and everything involved, as well as an account of the successes and failures of this tough investigative method.
Naturally, there is also a discussion about the question of what benefits society and what the costs are. And whether it is desirable to expand and continue the method as the Minister of Justice wants.
