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🇧🇪 Belgium /Crime & Justice

Kriva Rochem Drug Trial Restarts, but Arguments Delay Substantive Hearing

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • The Kriva Rochem drug trial in Belgium has restarted with three new judges after an appeals court barred the previous panel from continuing.
  • The substantive hearing remains delayed as Flor Bressers’ lawyers challenge the federal prosecutor’s conclusions and case documents, while prosecutors reject the complaint.
  • The case concerns the alleged import of at least 16 tonnes of cocaine through the port of Antwerp under the cover of a water-treatment company.

The huge Kriva Rochem drug trial has started again, but the courtroom has yet to reach the substance of the case. The proceedings, involving alleged cocaine imports through the port of Antwerp, reopened with three new judges after the Ghent Court of Appeal ruled that the previous judges could not remain.

We have the impression that the Public Prosecutor's Office received help from the court registry to file the conclusions on time.

· Hans RiederBressers' lawyer challenged the way the federal prosecutor submitted its conclusions.

The earlier trial had become highly turbulent. At the start of the year, the judge decided to deliberate without allowing either the prosecution or the defense to speak. The decision triggered 21 successful motions for recusal and brought the previous proceedings to an end.

Yet another storm in a teacup.

· Federal prosecutor's officeThe prosecution dismissed the defense objection over the filing of its documents.

The new trial is now held in the assize courtroom at the Justitia building in Evere. Lawyers for Flor Bressers object to the federal prosecutor’s conclusions and documents. His lawyer, Hans Rieder, said, "We have the impression that the Public Prosecutor's Office received help from the court registry to file the conclusions on time." The prosecution called that "yet another storm in a teacup" and said, "We did not use the registry at all." It accused Rieder of making a drama out of the issue and asked the court to disregard the argument.

We did not use the registry at all.

· Federal prosecutor's officeThe prosecution denied receiving assistance from the court registry.

The defense also objects to the glass box where the defendants must sit. Lawyer Yehudi Moskowicz said, "Communication with our client is now even more difficult than before," adding, "We now have to speak to him through a glass cage, and the police are still sitting too close." He demanded that police move at least two meters away. The court recessed, with the hearing due to continue at 2 p.m. The case concerns at least 16 tonnes of cocaine, valued at hundreds of millions of euros, allegedly imported under the cover of water-treatment company Kriva Rochem.

Communication with our client is now even more difficult than before.

· Yehudi MoskowiczBressers' lawyer objected to the defendants' placement in a glass courtroom box.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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