20.09.2001: 22^nd court day

Suppression of evidence no reason for stay of proceedings

Today the requests posed last week were discussed in front of a dozen visitors and two plain clothed police officers seated on the spectators benches. In a strong and detailed comment, the defence again pointed to the at least negligent suppression of relevant evidence and files dealing with the investigation on the part of the Federal Office of Criminal Investigation (BKA) and the Federal Prosecuting Authority (BAW). An informed continuation of the proceedings was impossible at this moment in time, the defence declared. The time consuming investigation of the new material dealing with the telephone interception (955 tapes and 23 files), of the Crown Witness amongst others, demanded a considerable stay of proceedings. In the face of this delay, the defence argued that a continuation of the imprisonment of the accused was even more unreasonable. The spectator's benches were filled in time for the declaration of the court's decision: a decision on the stay of proceedings was adjourned until the court was in possession of the relevant files of the investigation.

Then the Crown Witness Tarek Mousli entered the place of truth finding and was confronted with the evidence given by his ex-partner Karmen T., the statements of whom showed conseiderable differences with his own accounts. In fact, in parts, the majority of her statements completely contradict those Mousli has given so far, in particular in relation to his self-declared involvement in the "organisation" Revolutionary Cells (RZ), an involvement which he confessed to her at several occasions. He declared that his former partner had obviously confused some things or remembered them wrongly, which appeared as rather terse attempts to explain the discrepencies.