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yesterday, 17:31
Taghi denies passing on messages via his lawyer
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Ridouan Taghi denies that he has had contact with the outside world through his lawyer Vito Shukrula, who was arrested yesterday. Taghi makes this known through one of his other lawyers.

According to Taghi, he had an important substantive discussion yesterday in the Extra Secure Institution (EBI) about the Marengo trial, which is now being appealed. After the visit, Shukrula was arrested on suspicion of membership of his client's criminal organization.

Because of the accusations, the dean of the Amsterdam Bar Association will file a request to suspend Shukrula as a lawyer. This is customary after such serious suspicion. After his arrest, Shukrula resigned from defending Taghi.

Deposit tens
Taghi believes his lawyer was arrested to prevent further investigation in the Marengo trial and to keep him in the strictest prison regime, says lawyer Sjoerd van Berge Henegouwen. He temporarily assisted Taghi during the trial and is now helping him with procedures at the European Court.

Vito Shukrula is suspected of secretly passing on messages to Taghi. According to the Public Prosecution Service, these messages were intended for Taghi's criminal network in the outside world.

But Taghi claims that there can be nothing incriminating. "He thinks that at most he requested his sister to deposit a few tens of euros into his prison account," says Van Berge Henegouwen. According to him, there may also have been "somewhat cautious" talk about an AIVD employee who could tell more about his arrest in Dubai in 2019.

Dictionaries
After Shukrula's arrest, the police and the Public Prosecution Service searched the lawyer's office and his home. Data carriers were seized.

Taghi's cell was also searched yesterday. According to Van Berge Henegouwen, documents from the Marengo file, notes on the trial strategy, newspaper clippings and two dictionaries were seized.

Big shock
This is the third time that a lawyer of Taghi has been arrested on suspicion of passing messages to the outside world. His cousin Youssef T. was previously caught doing this. There is also a lawsuit against lawyer Inez Weski because she is said to have passed thousands of messages to contacts of Taghi outside prison.

Shukrula's arrest is once again causing a major shock within the legal profession. Shukrula will remain in custody for the time being, the Amsterdam court ruled this afternoon.

AIVD
Shukrula took on Taghi's defense last November, together with a colleague. According to the dean of the Amsterdam Bar Association, regular conversations were held with Taghi's new lawyers and a four-eyes principle applied to visits to the EBI.

A month and a half after they took office, the AIVD sent a message to the Public Prosecution Service that Shukrula was passing on messages from his client. The Public Prosecution Service then started an investigation. Shukrula's colleague is not a suspect. It is not yet known whether he will continue defending Taghi.

In June, there will be further hearings in the appeal of the Marengo trial, in which Ridouan Taghi and a number of co-defendants are on trial for a large number of liquidations.