Nabil B., the key witness in the Marengo trial against Dutch-Moroccan mafia boss Ridouan Taghi, will be released. The Amsterdam Court of Appeal ordered the suspension of his pre-trial detention, noting that he has already served most of the sentence agreed under his witness deal, NOS reported Tuesday. Nabil B., imprisoned since 2017, was promised a maximum of eight years in exchange for his testimony against Taghi's organization. The court ruled that this justified his release, though it does not affect the final sentence still to be decided on appeal. He remains bound by strict conditions, including availability to testify during the appeal and refraining from any new offenses. The court also stressed the need for strong protection measures. Since the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) revealed in 2018 that he had agreed to cooperate as a witness, three men in his immediate circle have been murdered. His brother Reduan was shot dead at his Amsterdam business on March 29, 2018, just six days after the OM announced his cooperation. His lawyer, Derk Wiersum, was gunned down outside his home in September 2019. And in July 2021, investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries, who acted as his advisor and confidant, was assassinated in central Amsterdam. Ridouan Taghi was sentenced to life in prison in September 2025 as part of the Marengo trial, which covered six murders, four attempted murders, and numerous planned assassinations between 2015 and 2017. The Amsterdam court described him as the «undisputed leader» of a violent criminal organization, ruling that only a life sentence could protect society. Taghi, long the subject of an international arrest warrant, was captured in Dubai in 2019 in a joint Moroccan-Emirati-Dutch operation and extradited to the Netherlands. He is also suspected of involvement in the 2017 Café la Crème shooting in Marrakech. His right-hand man, Said Razzouki, and several associates also received heavy sentences.
