Domestic
Former Crown Witness Marengo's Lawyer Reprimanded: 'Trust in the Legal Profession Damaged'
The Court of Discipline has reprimanded former lawyer Bart Stapert for violating his duty of confidentiality regarding his client, Nabil B., also known as Marengo. Stapert shared personal information and WhatsApp messages with the Public Prosecution Service without consent during negotiations for a crown witness deal against Ridouan Taghi in 2017 and 2018. The court found that Stapert’s actions damaged trust in the legal profession, upgrading an initial warning to a formal reprimand. Although Stapert is now a judge at the Court of Appeal in The Hague and no longer practices law, the decision highlights serious breaches of professional ethics.
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