Prosecutors say the street murder of Peter R. de Vries is likely linked to his role in the trial of a Dutch drug lord.
The trial of nine men suspected of the murder of Peter R. de Vries, a famous Dutch journalist, opened this Tuesday in Amsterdam.
Peter R. de Vries was shot in broad daylight on a street in the center of the Dutch capital on July 6, 2021. He had just left a television studio where he was appearing on a show as a guest. The journalist died nine days after the attack, which prosecutors say was linked to his role in the trial of a Dutch drug lord. Peter R. de Vries was in fact the advisor to the main prosecution witness in the trial of Ridouan Taghi, arrested in Dubai in 2019. Moreover, the witness’s brother and lawyer were both shot dead, respectively in 2018 and 2019.
For the murder of the journalist, two suspects, identified as the Dutchman Delano G. and the Polish Kamil E., were arrested shortly after the attack. Prosecutors had sought life in prison for the two suspects in June 2022, but the verdict was postponed the following month after the arrest of seven other suspects and the emergence of new information that judges said should be added to the case. the case.
The two main suspects, accused of being part of a criminal gang and arrested shortly after the attack, denied any involvement. The hearings for this trial take place at “Bunker”, an ultra-secure court in Amsterdam. The verdict is expected in June.