Ofehe trial suspended for further investigation
Published on : 6 December 2011 - 2:06pm | By Hélène Michaud/Photo: H Michaud
Is Sunny Ofehe a terrorist or a peace activist? The question before a court in the Netherlands will remain unanswered for some time. On Monday, his trial was postponed once more, this time to allow for further investigation.
It is to be hoped that when the trial resumes, the proceedings will finally shed light on why the man who calls himself a peace activist was charged with conspiring to commit terrorists acts in Nigeria’s oil-producing region, the Niger Delta.The packed public tribunal sits in silence, trying to disentangle the subtle legal battle going on. Most of the 45 people or so are Nigerian men who say they came to offer moral support to their fellow countryman. Mrs Dorothy Ofehe is present too, as at all of her husband’s public appearances. Dutch environmental activists have come, and a Dutch socialist MP who helped put the Niger Delta on the parliamentary agenda.
From the press, two prominent dailies are represented. A young filmmaker is following Ofehe and wants to draw parallels between him and the Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa who was executed by a Nigerian military regime. The accused, wearing a shiny black suit and stylish, polished shoes, listens attentively to his lawyers’ plea through an interpreter sitting next to him.
Shaky evidence
The lawyers say that unfounded terrorism accusations based on shaky evidence have tarnished Ofehe’s reputation. The negative publicity has also made it impossible for him to gather funding for this Hope for the Niger Delta campaign. Most notably, the reputable Oxfam Novib non-governmental organisation, in line with international guidelines, will not work with him as long as he remains accused of terrorism.
But not all Ofehe’s funders have reacted in this way, RNW has learnt. The catholic charity Cordaid has continued supporting him with funding and expertise, despite the accusations. A spokesperson for the charity told RNW that they have helped him maintain his office so that he can discuss delicate issues privately, away from his home and the ears of his four sons. Cordaid has also hired a consultant to help him reinforce and develop a strategy for his foundation. “We simply believe that he is innocent until proven guilty,” the Cordaid spokesperson said.
In response, the Public Prosecutor says that “publicity is a fact” one
has to live with and should not be taken into consideration. She adds
that she does not see the need to hear more witnesses, as requested by
the defence.
Ofehe is reminded that this is a procedural hearing to determine whether further investigation is necessary.
“Every day of my life I have been in the court of public opinion
defending myself since my arrest…..my character has been denigrated and
maligned, the list of errors in this case is long and rich. What you see
is bad police work and slanted prosecution, but I know this court will
guarantee fairness.”
Looking at him straight in the eyes, the main judge tries to make him
realize that calling more witnesses to the stand will only prolong the
process Ofehe says is taking too long. The judge calls a break for
deliberation.
Deeper investigation
After the 45 minute wait, the pubic tribune quiets down as it
tries to decipher the ruling read in difficult Dutch legalese. The
judges, so it seems, will honour the defence lawyers’ plea for deeper
investigation into the validity of the accusations.
The judges want a few more witnesses to be heard, including the man in
Nigeria with whom Mr Ofehe allegedly plotted to blow up pipelines in the
Niger Delta in three tapped telephone calls- the basis for the
terrorism accusation, according to the lawyers.
This and other hearings will be conducted by an investigating judge in a
separate session. In the Dutch legal system, the investigating or
examining magistrate is independent from the Public Prosecutor and can
question witnesses and look for evidence. This procedure is seen as less
time consuming than a regular court hearing.
When those people have been heard and the trial resumes, the judges then
want to hear the officer who led the investigation into terrorism
charges against the accused.
The trial is suspended indefinitely - the additional hearings will take
time - but Ofehe and his lawyers feel that they have won a small
victory.
Mystery files: huge fishnet around Niger Delta campaigner Sunny Ofehe
Published on : 2 December 2011 - 2:42pm | By Hélène Michaud (Photo: Sunny Ofehe)In a last minute development, the prosecution in the terrorism trial against Sunny Ofehe has handed over files codenamed “Tokio”. First deemed irrelevant to the case by the public prosecutor, the files were mailed to the defendant’s lawyers one week before the trial resumes on Monday 5 December.
Mr Ofehe told RNW his lawyers will use information contained in the files to request that judges dismiss his case.
The Netherlands-based Nigerian activist has been accused in the Netherlands of conspiring to commit terrorist acts in his native country of Nigeria. More specifically, he is accused of plotting to blow up oil pipelines in the oil rich Niger Delta. He also faces charges of forgery and people smuggling.
Tokio filesThe “Tokio” files contain results of initial police investigations into Mr Ofehe. Following insistent pleas by his lawyers to access the files, the prosecutor had released them for consultation. One of Mr Ofehe’s lawyers, Michiel Pennings, said he was surprised to then receive the hard copy at his office after spending two days in court archives going through “Tokio” documents.
He told RNW that the files contain extensive information on all aspects of Mr Ofehe’s life: his contacts, the pattern of his telephone calls, his hope for the Niger Delta Foundation: “a huge fish net has been cast to find out who Sunny Ofehe is”, he said.
Extensive investigation
[media:image]Mr Pennings said that what he found confirmed his
“suspicion that an exceptionally extensive investigation” has been
conducted, involving the “frequent and lengthy use of special
investigative powers”. The lawyers question whether this was necessary
and justified.
Mr Ofehe’s lawyers say they intend to discuss how the judicial enquiry has affected Mr Ofehe personally: his status, his financial situation, his friendships. When the trial opened on September 5, they said that the terrorism charge amounted to “character assassination”.
No more objections
Asked why the physical Tokio files had been sent to the defence
at the eleventh hour, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office,
Paul van der Zande, told RNW that “since they had already seen the
documents, there were no more objections to hand them over.”
Procès Ofehe pour terrorisme : pas d'enquête au Nigéria
Publié le : 18 octobre 2011 - 3:37pm | Par Hélène Michaud (Photo : AFP)
L’enquête sur les accusations de terrorisme contre Sunny Ofehe
est menée aux Pays-Bas et non au Nigéria, a déclaré un porte-parole du
parquet général des Pays-Bas à Radio Nederland. Le militant Sunny Ofehe a
été accusé aux Pays-Bas de d’actes terroristes dans son pays natal, le
Nigéria. Son procès s’est ouvert le 5 septembre à Rotterdam et se le 5
décembre.
"Enquête exclusivement néerlandaise"
Selon le porte-parole du procureur général, Wim de Bruijn, ni la police
néerlandaise, ni la police nigériane ne sont impliquées dans une enquête
au Nigéria. Selon lui, une enquête sur le sol nigérian n’est "pas
nécessaire" puisqu’il s’agit d’ "une enquête exclusivement
néerlandaise". Le procureur public, Gert Veurink, a accordé certaines
requêtes soumises à la cour par les avocats de Sunny Ofehe à l’ouverture
du procès. Ils pourront écouter des appels téléphoniques entre M. Ofehe
et un contact au Nigéria, avec lequel il est soupçonné d’avoir planifié
des attaques sur des oléoducs. Le procureur a également accordé l’accès
au dossier avec le nom de code "Tokio". [related-article]
Cependant, le procureur rejette la requête de la défense d’auditionner
15 témoins, dont des membres des services de sécurité des Pays-Bas.
Selon lui les arguments de la défense ne sont pas suffisamment
convaincants. Dans une lettre destinée aux avocats, M. Veurink est
d’accord pour faire comparaitre trois personnes, dont deux Nigérians
mais refuse leur demande de questionner un expert sur la situation dans
le delta du Niger. A la reprise du procès le 5 décembre, le juge
déterminera quels témoins pourront être interrogés à la barre. Quirine
Eijkman, chercheur au Centre pour le contre-terrorisme à l’Université de
Leide aux Pays-Bas, est d’accord qu’il n’est pas absolument nécessaire
d’enquêter au Nigéria. "Il est accusé de conspiration sur la base
d’appel téléphoniques faits aux Pays-Bas, donc je ne pense pas qu’il
soit nécessaire d’aller au Nigéria".
Plus de recherches
Du point de vue de Mme Eijkman, le procureur aurait dû faire plus de
recherches sur la situation politique dans le delta du Niger : "Cela
aurait permis de comprendre pourquoi Mr. Ofehe s’est engagé dans le
plaidoyer pour les droits de l’homme et les raisons pour lesquelles il
voulait filmer le siphonage du pétrole dans le delta du Niger". Elle
trouve "remarquable" que les autorités néerlandaises accusent quelqu’un
de complot pour faire exploser des oléoducs au Nigéria, alors que pour
leur part les autorités nigérianes amnistient des activistes nigérians
accusés de sabotage d’oléoducs.
Sunne Ofehe est le fondateur de la campagne "Hope for the Niger Delta"
(espoir pour le Delta du Niger), dont le but est de favoriser la prise
de conscience du phénomène de la pollution environnementale provoquée
par les compagnies pétrolières dans le delta du Niger, dont la compagnie
anglo-néerlandaise Royal Dutch Shell. Le but de cette campagne était de
filmer des écoulements de pétrole et de documenter des acte de
siphonage de pétrole destiné à la vente illégale – une pratique connue
sous le nom de "oil bunkering" (soutage de pétrole). Le procureur
néerlandais pourraient le soupçonner d’avoir incité d’autres à commettre
des actes criminels afin de les documenter.
Mme Eijkman a déclaré à Radio Nederland que les autorités néerlandaises
devraient faire preuve de "retenue" lorsque qu’elles traitent des
dossiers de conspiration pour crimes terroristes commis hors du
territoire des Pays-Bas, "surtout dans des régions comme le delta du
Niger où o il y a des tensions sociopolitiques". A son avis, les
autorités devraient aussi tenir compte du fait que de telles accusations
portent atteinte à la réputation des militants des droits de l’homme et
que ces militants "ont besoin de liberté et d’espace social pour
conduire leur travail de plaidoyer".
Etonnés et embarrassés
Sunny Ofehe a embauché un avocat au Nigéria pour blanchir sa réputation,
qui, selon lui, a été ternie pas ce procès. "Je doit prouver que je ne
suis pas un terroriste", a-t-il déclaré à Radio Nederland. Dans une
lettre au président nigérian Goodluck Jonathan, son avocat, Festus
Keyamo, a demandé l’ouverture d’une enquête au Nigéria. Il écrit : "Nous
sommes extrêmement étonnés et embarrassés que, jusqu’ici, le
gouvernement du Nigéria ne sache rien du procès d’un citoyen nigérian
dans un pays étranger, accusé d’organiser des actes horrifiques comme
"faire exploser des oléoducs" au Nigéria. Cela sent l’intimidation et la
persécution".
S’il est reconnu coupable de conspiration d’actes terroristes, M. Ofehe
risque une peine maximale de 10 ans de prison. S’il est condamné à trois
ans de prison ou plus, ou s’il est considéré comme une menace pour la
sécurité nationale, il risque la déportation. M. Ofehe est également
accusé de contrefaçon et de trafic d’êtres humains.
No terrorism investigation against Ofehe in Nigeria
Published on : 18 October 2011 - 2:35pm | By Hélène Michaud (Photo: Hélène Michaud)
An investigation into the terrorism charges against Sunny Ofehe
is being carried out in the Netherlands only and not in Nigeria, a
spokesman for the Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office told Radio
Netherlands Worldwide.
The Netherlands-based Nigerian activist Sunny Ofehe has been accused in
the Netherlands of conspiring to commit terrorist acts in his native
country of Nigeria. His trial opened on 5 September in Rotterdam and
will resume on 5 December.
Asked whether Dutch or Nigerian authorities were conducting related
investigations in Nigeria, Wim de Bruin, a spokesman for the Dutch
prosecutor’s office, said that neither Dutch nor Nigerian police were
involved in investigations in Nigeria. He said this was “not necessary”
as “this is an exclusively Dutch investigation.”
Requests granted and refused
The public prosecutor, Gert Veurink, has agreed to some of the requests
submitted to the court by Sunny Ofehe’s lawyers at the opening of the
trial. They will be allowed to listen to tapped phone calls between
Ofehe and a contact in Nigeria with whom he is alleged to have plotted
terrorist attacks on oil pipelines. The prosecutor also agreed to grant
them access to files codenamed ‘Tokio’.
However, the prosecutor rejected the defence’s request to call 15 people
to the witness stand – most of them members of the Dutch security
services, on the grounds that insufficient arguments were made. In a
letter to the lawyers, Veurink agreed with the appearance of three
people - two of them Nigerians - on the witness stand. He also dismissed
their demand to call an expert to describe the situation in the Niger
Delta. The judge will determine who will be called to the witness stand
when the trial resumes.
More research into context needed
Quirine Eijkman, a senior researcher at the Centre for Counterterrorism
at Leiden University in the Netherlands, agrees that it is not
absolutely necessary to conduct further investigations in Nigeria. “He’s
charged with conspiracy on the basis of tapped phone calls in the
Netherlands, so I don’t think it’s necessary to go to Nigeria.”
In Eijkman’s view, the prosecutor should have done more research into
the political situation in the Niger Delta. “This would have helped
explain why Ofehe is involved in human rights advocacy and why he wanted
to film the illegal oil tapping in the Niger Delta.” She finds it
“remarkable” that Dutch authorities charge someone with plotting to blow
up pipelines in Nigeria at a time when the Nigerian authorities
themselves are granting amnesty to militants involved in sabotage.
Hope for the Niger Delta Campaign
Sunny Ofehe is the founder of the Hope for the Niger Delta Campaign,
which aims to raise awareness of the extensive environmental pollution
caused by the oil industry in Nigeria. Central to his campaign is the
filming of oil spills and the documentation of acts of sabotage with the
intent of siphoning off oil to sell illegally - a practice known as
‘oil bunkering’. It seems likely that Dutch prosecutors suspect Ofehe
may have incited others to commit criminal acts in order to document
them.
Eijkman told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that the Dutch authorities
should “show restraint” when charging people in the Netherlands with
conspiracy to commit terrorist crimes abroad, “especially in places with
socio-political tensions like the Niger Delta.” Other reasons to show
restraint, she added, is the fact that "terrorist charges carry a social
stigma" and that “human rights activists need freedom and social space
to conduct their advocacy work.”
Letter to the president
Ofehe has hired a lawyer in Nigeria, in order to clear his reputation,
which he feels has been tarnished by the court case. “I need to prove
that I’m not a terrorist,” he told Radio Netherlands Worldwide. In a
letter to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, his lawyer, Festus
Keyamo, called for an investigation in Nigeria into the case against
Ofehe.
Keyamo wrote: "We find it extremely curious and embarrassing that, so
far, the Nigerian government knows nothing about the trial of a Nigerian
citizen in a foreign land accused of planning such a horrendous act as
‘blowing up pipelines’ in Nigeria. It smacks of intimidation and
persecution."
Prison or deportation
If found guilty of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, Ofehe faces a
maximum prison sentence of 10 years. If he is sentenced to more than
three years in jail, or if he is considered a threat to national
security, he will be deported. Ofehe has also been charged with forgery
and people smuggling.
Ofehe terrorism trial suspended
Published on : 6 September 2011 - 12:01pm | By Hélène Michaud (Photo: Hélène Michaud)
The trial of Nigerian activist Sunny Ofehe over terrorism
charges has been suspended. At the start of the preliminary hearing in
Rotterdam on Monday, Ofehe’s lawyer requested that the court throw out
the case. The judges refused to dismiss the case.
Ofehe's lawyer argued that the new terrorism charge that had been added
to the four previous charges including human trafficking and forgery had
taken his client by surprise. He said the new charge was based on
insufficient evidence: three tapped telephone conversations. Also, he
argued that the prosecutor’s failure to release documents codenamed
“Tokyo” to the defence made the trial unfair because in his view defence
and prosecution did not have access to the same evidence.
Inadmissibilty claim rejected
The three judges deliberated on the matter and concluded that there were no grounds to throw out the case. They said they understood that the accused had been taken by surprise with the new terrorism charge.
However, they asked the prosecutor to respond in writing within six weeks to the defence lawyer’s requests for more evidence. They asked the prosecutor to explain why the files requested by the defence had not been released. The case is suspended until a new date is set for the trial to resume with a new preliminary hearing.
Mr. Ofehe is the first person to be charged in the Netherlands for conspiracy to commit a terrorist act abroad since the law on terrorist crimes was passed in 2004.
Procès de Sunny Ofehe à Rotterdam
Publié le : 5 septembre 2011 - 11:22am | Par Eliott Sommade (Photo : Hélène Michaud)
Le militant nigérian Sunny Ofehe fait face à cinq chefs
d’accusation différents, notamment d’avoir voulu faire exploser des
oléoducs de la compagnie pétrolière Shell au Nigeria. RNW Afrique a
couvert le procès en direct du tribunal de Rotterdam ce lundi 5
septembre.
L’audience de ce lundi est une audience préliminaire ou procédurale, qui
ne porte pas à proprement parler sur l’affaire même. Seules des
questions de procédure, par exemple le nombre de témoins entendus, sont
adressées par les parties.
Les avocats de la défense ont dit à Radio Nederland qu’ils demandent à
avoir accès à des documents qui font partie du dossier Ofehe mais qui ne
leur ont pas encore été remis par le procureur. Ils ont l’intention de
demander les bandes d’écoutes téléphoniques originales en
anglais-pidgin, qui sont à la base, disent-ils, de l’accusation de
terrorisme qui repose sur leur client.
En ce qui concerne les témoins, les avocats prévoient la venue de
quelque 25 policiers qui ont enquêté sur cette affaire. Ils demandent
aussi la présence d’un spécialiste du Nigeria originaire des Pays-Bas.
Hélène Michaud de RNW vous a donné toutes les informations du tribunal en anglais.
Trial of Sunny Ofehe begins in Rotterdam
Published on : 1 September 2011 - 1:56pm | By Hélène Michaud (Photo: Hélène Michaud)
The Nigerian activist faces 5 different charges, including
conspiring to blow up oil pipelines operated by Shell in Nigeria. RNW
Africa covered the trial live from the court of justice in Rotterdam on
Monday afternoon September 5th here on our site.
The session on Monday is a preliminary hearing or procedural session
which does not handle the case proper. Only questions of procedure, for
example the number of witnesses that will be heard, are addressed by the
parties.
The lawyers of the accused told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that they
request access to files they say are part of Ofehe’s dossier but that
have not been handed over to them by the prosecution. They ask for the
original recordings of the tapped telephone conversations in Pidgin
English which they argue form the basis for the terrorism accusation.
On the witness stand, they request the appearance of some of the 25
police officers involved in the investigation. They also request the
appearance of an expert on Nigeria from the Netherlands.
RNW’s Hélène Michaud has been blogging live from the courtroom. Do also
follow the discussion and add comments on our Facebook and Twitter
pages.
Dutch-Nigerian accused of conspiring to blow up Shell pipeline
Published on : 26 August 2011 - 2:43pm | By Hélène Michaud (Photo: RNW)
Sunny Ofehe, a Dutch-Nigerian activist, has been charged with
plotting to blow up oil pipelines operated by Shell in Nigeria. In an
exclusive interview with Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Ofehe and his
lawyers spoke about the latest of several charges against him.
Ofehe, 39, stands accused of conspiring to blow up several pipelines
operated by Shell in the Niger Delta. He and his lawyers say this latest
charge comes as a complete surprise. They claim the evidence is
questionable given that it is based on three tapped telephone
conversations.
Early this year Ofehe was arrested in the Netherlands and detained for
two weeks on suspicion of people smuggling and forgery. He was charged
formally three weeks ago and subpoenaed to appear in court on 5
September. On this occasion one charge of people smuggling was dropped.
Previous charges remain, which include smuggling a Nigerian citizen into
the Netherlands and two charges relating to the falsification of
documents to obtain housing and a bank loan.
Awareness-raising
Ofehe is the founder of the Hope for the Niger Delta Campaign that aims
to raise awareness of the extensive environmental pollution in Nigeria’s
oil-rich region caused by oil companies. At the end of last year he
accompanied a Dutch member of parliament on a fact-finding mission to
the Niger Delta, ahead of a parliamentary hearing into the Anglo-Dutch
oil giant’s operations in the region, at which he gave testimony.
Central to his awareness-raising is the filming of oil spills, as well
as documenting acts of sabotage to pipelines with the intent of
siphoning off oil to sell illegally - a practice known as oil bunkering.
His trial is likely to revolve around the issue of whether he incited others to commit criminal acts in order to document them.
Seeing is believing
Ofehe said that during the tapped phone conversations that formed the
basis for the new terrorism charges, he was making arrangements with a
friend in Nigeria to film a documentary in the Niger Delta for a
prominent Dutch media organisation, which he did not wish to identify.
“I’m not a professional journalist, I’m an amateur journalist, and I
believe that seeing is believing. There is no way my campaign can be
effective without showing the people what is happening there.”
He told Radio Netherlands Worldwide he wanted to prove to the whole
world that Shell staff, members of the JTF (a Nigerian army unit created
to fight militants) and local community chiefs are all involved in oil
bunkering. Ofehe categorically denies having had any criminal intent.
Telephone tapping
Ofehe’s lawyer, Ed Manders of the law firm Manders Advocaten that
specialises in people trafficking cases, says he does not understand
“why Dutch police are concerned about oil pipelines in Nigeria”.
Wim de Bruijn, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office explains
that a person can be charged in the Netherlands for acts committed
abroad if the conspiracy took place in the Netherlands.
Political conspiracy
On the eve of the trial, Ofehe’s lawyers are cautious. They say they
have the “feeling”- but no evidence- that the Dutch authorities are out
to get him. This in their view would help explain why he was under
police investigation for 18 months during which his telephone
conversations were regularly tapped. Over 25 police officers were
mobilised for the investigation, resulting in a 7,000-page dossier. The
defence lawyers have asked to be given access to another set of yet
unknown files. “There’s something funny going on, that’s all I can say
for now,” suggests Manders.
There is no doubt in the mind of the accused that he is the victim of a
political conspiracy by “higher powers” he does not wish to identify at
this stage. Ofehe says these forces are “determined to crush" his
criticism of multinational oil companies and the misappropriation of oil
revenues generated from the Niger Delta by the Nigerian government.
The trial starts in the Rotterdam High Court on 5 September.
Militant nigérian accusé aux Pays-Bas de complot terroriste
Publié le : 26 août 2011 - 4:28pm | Par Hélène MichaudSunny Ofehe, un militant nigérian pour l’environnement domicilé aux Pays-Bas, a été accusé de comploter l’explosion d’oléoducs exploités par la compagnie Shell au Nigeria. Dans un entretien exclusif accordé à Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, Ofehe et ses avocats commentent les dernières des nombreuses charges dont le militant est accusé.
Agé de 39 ans, Ofehe se retrouve accusé d’avoir projeté l’explosion de plusieurs oléoducs exploités dans le Delta du Niger par la compagnie anglo-néerlandaise Shell. Il affirme, tout comme ses avocats, que cette dernière charge est une surprise totale. Ils affirment que les preuves sont douteuses car basées sur trois conversations téléphoniques mises sur écoute.
Au début de cette année, Ofehe a été arrêté aux Pays-Bas et détenu pendant deux semaines pour motif de suspicion de trafic d’humains et d’usage de faux. Il a été inculpé formellement il y a deux semaines et assigné à comparaître devant le tribunal le 5 septembre prochain. L’une des accusations de trafic d’humains a été abandonnée. Les autres charges subsistent, à savoir le trafic d’un citoyen nigérian vers les Pays-Bas et deux accusations relatives à la falsification de documents nécessaires à obtenir un prêt bancaire.
Aiguiser la prise de conscience
Ofehe est l’initiateur de la campagne ‘Hope for the Niger Delta’
(espoir pour le Delta du Niger), dont le but est de favoriser la prise
de conscience du phénomène de la pollution environnementale provoquée
par les compagnies pétrolières dans la région pétrolifère du Nigeria. Au
mois de décembre 2010, il avait accompagné une députée néerlandaise, en
préparation d’une enquête parlementaire sur les opérations de la
compagnie pétrolière anglo-néerlandaise dans cette région, à laquelle il
a fourni un témoignage.
Afin de sensibiliser l’opinion publique sur le problème de la pollution, Ofehe a filmé de nombreux écoulements de pétrole, et a rassemblé des preuves sur des actes de sabotage d’oléoducs. Ces actes avaient été commis avec l’intention de siphonner le pétrole pour le vendre illégalement – une pratique connue sous le nom de ‘bunkering’ (soutage) de pétrole.
Son procès semble s’axer autour de la question de savoir s’il a incité d’autres personnes à commettre des actes criminels afin de les filmer.
Voir c’est croire
Selon Ofehe, lors des écoutes téléphoniques qui sont à la base des
nouvelles charges de terrorisme, il était en train de faire des
préparatifs de film pour un documentaire dans le Delta du Niger pour le
compte d’une importante société de médias néerlandaise, dont il n’a pas
souhaité révéler l’identité.
"Je ne suis pas un journaliste professionnel, je suis un amateur, et je crois que ‘voir, c’est croire’. Il n’existe pas de manière de rendre ma campagne efficace sans montrer aux gens ce qui se passe ici."
Il a dit au micro de Radio Nederland qu’avec ces films, il voulait démontrer au monde entier que l’équipe dirigeante de Shell, les membres de la JTF (une unité de l’armée nigériane créée pour combattre les militants) et les chefs des communautés locales sont tous impliqués dans le soutage de pétrole.
Ecoutes téléphoniques
Ed Manders, l’avocat d’Ofehe, membre du cabinet d’avocats de Rotterdam
Manders Advocaten, spécialisé dans les affaires de trafics d’humains,
affirme qu’il ne comprend pas "pourquoi la police néerlandaise est
concernée par les oléoducs au Nigeria".
Wim de Bruijn, porte-parole du bureau du procureur, explique qu’une personne peut être accusée aux Pays-Bas pour des actes commis à l’étranger si la conspiration a pris place aux Pays-Bas.
Complot politiqueLes avocats d’Ofehe disent avoir le ‘sentiment’ – mais aucune preuve – que les autorités néerlandaises ont l’intention de ‘le coincer’. Selon leur point de vue, ceci expliquerait pourquoi il a été observé par la police pendant 18 mois, période pendant laquelle ses conversations téléphoniques ont été régulièrement écoutées. Plus de 25 agents de police ont été mobilisés sur l’enquête, ce qui a résulté en un dossier de 7.000 pages. "Il se passe quelque chose de bizarre en ce moment, c’est tout ce que je peux dire maintenant", suggère Manders.
Il ne fait aucun doute dans l’esprit de l’accusé qu’il est la victime
d’un complot politique, conspiré par des "hautes autorités" qu’il ne
souhaite pas identifier avec plus de précision à ce stade de l’affaire.
Ofehe affirme que ces forces sont "déterminées à écraser" sa critique
des compagnies pétrolières multinationales et du détournement des
revenus du pétrole générés par le Delta du Niger par le gouvernement
nigérian.
La séance préliminaire du procès a lieu le lundi 5 septembre au tribunal de Rotterdam.