Lawyers Nico Meijering and Christian Flokstra say in the court of Amsterdam on Friday that they are convinced that crown witness Nabil B. lied about the conclusion of his agreement with the judicial authorities. This would appear from the content of conversations found on the iPhone that B. secretly had in his cell.
It is the first time that messages from the iPhone have been added to the file in the Marengo trial, after it became clear in July last year that B. had had a device in his cell and had previously lied about it under oath when asked.
The trial, which revolves around six liquidations, attempted murder and preparations for murder, started on the fifth day of the substantive treatment on Friday.
B. has always said that an important motive for becoming a crown witness was that not only Ridouan T. wanted to kill him, but also his friends Saïd R. and Mohamed R.
Meijering, who assists Mohamed R., however, quoted a message from B .: “Mo didn’t lie, he would never hurt me.” That message contradicts the motive of the crown witness, according to the lawyer.
Meijering made it clear that 220 of the total of 17,152 messages messages that B. and his partner sent each other have been made public. Meijering wants the Public Prosecution Service (OM) to add all messages to the file.
Mohamed R. was also present in court on Friday.
Mohamed R. was also present in court on Friday. Photo: Adrien Stanziani
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Crown witness lied on oath on the phone
The iPhone in question, B. had in his cell from September 2017 to February 2018. During that period he negotiated with the judicial authorities about the conclusion of the agreement about his role as a crown witness.
When asked in July 2019 whether he had access to a phone in his cell, B. admitted that he had access to a BlackBerry. A year later, he admitted to owning an iPhone and lying about it for the sake of his own safety and those around him.
What has become clear from reports, according to the counsel, is that B. had another motive for closing a deal with the judicial authorities. The lawyers are convinced that B. has declared against the truth incriminating about Mohamed R. in order to be able to conclude an agreement and thus receive a reduced sentence.
B. has not yet had the opportunity to respond to the lawyers’ allegations and perhaps place the messages in a different context. He has stated several times that he has made a deal with the law because his life was in danger and he saw no other way out.
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