Nordin El Hajjioui, nicknamed “Dikke Nordin”, will be tried on May 7 by the Antwerp Criminal Court in the context of the “Bombs and Grenades” case. This case, which concerns arms and drug trafficking, also involves around fifty other defendants.
The man of Moroccan origin was extradited from the United Arab Emirates to Belgium in March 2023, but this extradition did not cover the “Bombs and Grenades” affair. An additional procedure was therefore necessary so that Nordin El Hajjioui could be tried in this case.
Read: Dubai: drug lord Nordin El Hajjioui extradited
On Wednesday, during a preliminary hearing, the public prosecutor announced that this procedure had been finalized. Nordin El Hajjioui’s lawyer expressed doubts about the validity of this assertion, due to a lack of official documents. He asked that the case be handed over to the narcotics chamber, which is already due to examine five other files concerning his client on November 7. This request was rejected by the judges, who decided to deal with the case themselves on May 7.
-In the “Bombs and Grenades” case, the court already handed down sentences of up to twelve years in prison last November. Three defendants were acquitted and two others had their sentences suspended. A sum of more than 2.5 million euros, considered to come from trafficking, was seized. The case will be examined on appeal next April.
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