One of the biggest murder trials in the history of the Netherlands resumes under tight security on Monday morning.

The so-called Marengo trial, which started over two years ago, is now drawing to a close but as yet it is unclear what the impact of the arrest of the main suspect’s lawyer will have on the next few days.

Inez Weski was picked up last month on suspicion of passing on information on behalf of her client Ridouan Taghi, who has now said he will defend himself pending the appointment of a new lawyer.

Monday’s hearing focuses on Mohamed R, the brother of Taghi’s alleged right-hand man Saïd R, who faces life in jail.

The 17 defendants on trial are suspected of planning a total of 13 gangland murders, of which six were carried out between 2015 and 2017 in the so-called ‘Mocro mafia’ drugs war.

Taghi is also suspected of ordering the murder of Amsterdam-based lawyer Derk Wiersum in September 2019, though that killing is not part of the Marengo trial. Wiersum was acting for Nabil B, one of the key witnesses in the case against Taghi, whose brother was also shot dead.

Evidence has also emerged indicating that the investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries was murdered in 2021 because of his involvement in a gangland murder trial.