Aquino trial halted as judges accused of conflict of interest

The trial of members of the Aquino crime family in Hasselt has been stopped, after defence lawyers accused the three judges of conflict of interest. The motion to recuse the presiding judge, Valerie Fontaine, and her two colleagues was filed by Nathalie Buisseret, the lawyer for Silvia Liskova.

Liskova is the widow of Silvio Aquino, the trial’s main defendant who was shot dead days before the trial resumed. The motion claims that Liskova, who is also on trial, “can no longer have any guarantee of an unprejudiced and impartial judge,” according to a statement issued by Buisseret.

The defence has been trying, without success, to have the case postponed since it resumed on 7 September, citing the death of Aquino. The motion yesterday also referenced the prosecution’s 1,350 pages of new evidence that was presented on 7 September, with the judge refusing to give the defence time to consider it.

“The pressure exercised by the prosecutor’s office is unworthy of the rule of law and makes certain that the court can no longer judge in an independent and impartial manner,” the statement says.

Assuming that judge Fontaine and her colleagues do not recuse themselves voluntarily, the defence motion will be considered by the Court of Appeal in Antwerp, a procedure expected to take at least five weeks. In the unlikely case that the motion should succeed, the three judges would be replaced, and the trial would begin again from the beginning.

Photo courtesy Het Belang van Limburg