Within the legal profession they now know: if you defend Taghi then ‘the AIVD crawls into your phone’

There were plenty of frowned eyebrows within the legal profession, when Vito Shukrula reported last November as new lawyer from Ridouan Taghi. Too young, somewhat too wild, but above all: too inexperienced. But no colleague from Shukrula wanted to be quoted about that. In other words: most lawyers were happy that someone was going to do it, at least they didn’t have to do it.

The defense of suspects of the caliber taghi is complicated. Lawyers are one hundred percent partial and must stand for their client. But their oath also prescribes that they remain 100 percent independent as servants of the rule of law. That paradox makes it a difficult subject: serving the client and at the same time society.

Why did it not succeed in finding an experienced lawyer who wants to take on Taghi’s case?

According to the OM, Vito Shukrula has not monitored that balance well. He is on Thursday On suspicion of membership of a criminal organization of his client – as well as two of his predecessors, Youssef Taghi (cousin of Ridouan) and Inez Weski.

The first was sentenced in 2023 to five and a half years in prison. The criminal case against Weski is walking, albeit difficult for the OM because of the way in which Weski was treated of her detention in the first nine days. After her arrest, she was unlawfully detained « in a secret location, » the judiciary and security inspection said.

What exactly has happened in the case of the 36-year-old Shukrula is still unknown. All restrictions were imposed on him, as it is called, so he may not have contact with the outside world. Based on the OM’s press release about the arrest, the parallel is particularly striking with the case of Youssef Taghi.

Errors

Quite soon after his arrest, at the end of 2019, it will be reported that Ridouan Taghi tries to communicate with the outside world from the extra secure design (EBI) in Vught. In the autumn of 2020, for example, it will be told by the American security service FBI that a message was discovered from Taghi, sent from the EBI.

According to the OM, the subsequent study focuses on Youssef Taghi in the first instance. In August from 2021, such a suspicion arose against the lawyer that he can be overcurrent from the investigating judge when he visits Ridouan Taghi. That is special, because the contact between lawyer and client is confidential.

It becomes clear from the recordings and images that Youssef is smuggling messages for Ridouan from the EBI and passes it on to henchmen. Their reports for Ridouan, including drug trafficking, smuggles Youssef de Ebi. « I did something wrong, » he says in an interrogation. « Really, I’m deeply ashamed. »

A few months after the conviction of Youssef Taghi, at the beginning of 2023, Inez Weski is arrested. She, too, would have been a member of the criminal organization of Taghi and smuggled the EBI in and out.

According to the OM, this is evident from, among other things, reports found on the phone of the eldest son of Ridouan, Faissal Taghi. He was also detained on suspicion of membership of the criminal organization of his father.

Incidentally, the content of those messages is not known, because research is still being conducted at the moment at the request of Weski. This is mainly about the state of affairs regarding her arrest and detention.

AIVD

An important difference with Shukrula’s case is the involvement of the AIVD security service. According to the OM, the service sent an official report, which would show that Shukrula also plays information from his client Taghi.

Nor is anything known about the content of those messages, but apparently the investigating judge has seen sufficient reason to also let the Shukrula visit to Taghi listen and record. After the assessment of those recordings by the investigating judge, a part was provided to the investigation. That’s how it went in the earlier research into Youssef Taghi.

This state of affairs confirms the doubt of many lawyers about the appointment of Shukrula, who defended Taghi together with colleague Carlo Le Roy. The latter is not suspected.

The AIVD has sent an official message that would show that Shukrula also transmits information from Taghi

And at the same time it also raises questions. About the dean of the Bar Association, for example. Has the legal lawyers regulated supporting these young lawyers sufficiently with their difficult task? And why did it not work to find one or more experienced criminal lawyers who want to take on this case?

Perhaps the answer to that last question lies in that Shukrula was apparently taken on by the AIVD. Even without clarity about the reason for this, people now know within the legal profession that the service checks your corridors when you become a Taghi lawyer. « They just crawl into your phone, » says a lawyer.

That will not facilitate the upcoming search for a new lawyer for Taghi.

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