During the pro-forma hearing in the case of Walid, who is on trial for suspected of human smuggling crimes, the public prosecutor confirmed that they have made contact with authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) regarding co-accused Kidane. The UAE authorities confirmed that they are positive towards the extradition of Kidane to the Netherlands, which means, if confirmed, that Kidane could be tried alongside Walid in the Netherlands next year.
Walid and Kidane are both suspected of being the leaders of a criminal organisation which has committed migration crimes against refugees, including extortion, rape and torture, in Libya. Dozens of victims have given testimony to the Dutch court.
The pro-forma hearing took place in Zwolle on 18 September 2024. Walid was physically present during the hearing. He continues to claim that there has been a case of mistaken identity.
The court initially planned the first content hearing in the case in March 2025, but the court has not yet made a decision about whether to split the cases of Walid and Kidane, or combine them. If they were to be combined, the content hearing in March 2025 will likely be delayed. In the case of Walid, all that remains to be done before the content hearings can start is the questioning of 9 witnesses on request of the defense. One of those witnesses is Kidane; however, the public prosecutor has warned that attempting to question Kidane in the UAE will severely hinder the extradition process.
During the hearing, it was revealed that Kidane was tried and convicted in the UAE on charges of money laundering. He was given 2 years and 8 months in prison, which can be substracted from the time he has already spent locked up in advance of his trial. He was arrested on 1 January 2023. Kidane has already been assigned a lawyer in the Netherlands, but COVID-19 restrictions currently prevent any direct contact.
The next pro-forma hearing scheduled on 10 December 2024 at 09:00 will be crucial in answering the question of whether Kidane and Walid’s cases will be tried