The president of the 14th chamber of the Brussels Court of Appeal questioned a 62-year-old Albanian national Arben I in the Black Eagle mega-trial for drug trafficking, on Monday. He denied any involvement in the case.
Thirty-four individuals are on trial for being part of a criminal organisation involved in international cocaine trafficking. Five are absent and three are in custody.
"I don’t know why I’m here," the defendant, stated, setting the tone for the rest of his questioning. The 62-year-old is the cousin of Alfredo H, one of the alleged leaders of the drug trafficking ring under scrutiny for several weeks.
According to the prosecution, Arben I helped his cousin and others invest drug money in real estate.
Additionally, he allegedly acted as an intermediary between his cousin and leaders of a "sister criminal organisation" based in Majorca.
A direct wiretap from December 26, 2018, allegedly placed Arben I in a car with Alfredo H and two other men when the latter asked Alfredo H. for cocaine. Alfredo H reportedly said he could supply it via a fishing boat from Suriname and Colombia.
"I wasn’t there," Arben I said when questioned about this. "And there was never such a conversation." He added, "I'm not interested in such business. I don’t need it. I come from a good family; no one in my family has had trouble with the law."
His lawyer, Christophe Van Der Beesen, argued that the recording, originating from a Spanish investigation, was never included in the case file. The court only has a report transcribing and translating the wiretap.
Arben I was also questioned about a luxury watch allegedly given to him by his cousin, valued at €415,000. "I don’t know much about watches. I later realised it was fake," he claimed.
Finally, Arben I denied multiple private jet trips to Aruba in the Dutch Antilles, where significant meetings between major cocaine trafficking networks allegedly took place.
Regarding a five-day trip to Amsterdam with Alfredo H. and a friend from Miami, Arben I stated it was "for pleasure" and not to discuss a purported drug trafficking operation and its massive profits to be laundered.
The interrogation of the defendants will continue on Tuesday.
