“My family is not safe and does not feel safe under the direction of the current chief public prosecutor Central Netherlands,” one of them writes on behalf of the family in an angry letter in the hands of RTL Nieuws.
Marengo
The family not only feels the fear of the threat from Ridouan Taghi, the main suspect in the criminal case, but is also afraid for their own safety as long as chief officer Rutger Jeuken remains responsible for security.
“You bear responsibility for all abuses, incidents and security failures that have taken place in recent years that relate to the protection of relatives of (brother) Reduan and the key witness in the Marengo trial.”
New Chief Officer
In a response to RTL News, the Public Prosecution Service announced that another chief public prosecutor will soon be responsible for the security of the family members.
Taghi has been demanded life imprisonment for giving orders for liquidations and attempts to do so. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he is also responsible for the murders of the brother of the crown witness (2018), his lawyer Derk Wiersum (2019) and Peter R. de Vries, the confidant of the crown witness (2021). Taghi is not formally suspected of these three murders.
Brother killed
Crown witness Nabil B. is also a suspect in the Marengo trial. He has made statements about Taghi and other suspects in exchange for a reduced sentence. This was not without consequences. Shortly after the announcement, his innocent brother Reduan was murdered in revenge.
After that murder, the Public Prosecution Service of Central Netherlands has taken ‘no initiative at all’ to keep the family safe, the family member writes. As an example, the letter states that family members were not protected when they came for an appointment with confidential counselor Peter R. de Vries.
Death list
This while the Public Prosecution Service knew that De Vries was on a death list. “You guard and secure the entire rule of law, but after two murders, family members can serve as cannon fodder during such a visit.”
As one of the most dangerous incidents, the family describes how the OM played with lives, by leaking to De Telegraaf that Royce de Vries, the son of Peter R. de Vries, was the lawyer of a number of relatives of the key witness. “It could have been a massacre at Peter R’s office.”
Monitor and secure
As a result of the mistakes in the file, the Surveillance and Security system will be completely overhauled in the future. Security will soon be arranged nationally and no longer by the Public Prosecution Service. This adjustment was one of the recommendations of the Dutch Safety Board, which recently investigated the actions of the police and the Public Prosecution Service prior to the three murders.
