Pirate kingpin gets 20 years

Big Mouth gets lengthy jail term.

20 Years in Prison for Somali Pirate Kingpin, Belgian Court Rules

THE Bruges Criminal Court, sentenced, in absentia, the Somali pirate Kingpin Mohamed Abdi Hassan (60), to 20 years in prison for the hijacking of merchant vessel Pompeii. His compatriot, Mohamed Moalin-Aden (44), received five years in prison for his role in the criminal organization, but was acquitted for the hijacking of Pompeii. By an oversight of the prosecution they were not forfeited of thirteen million in profit from hijackings, writes the Belgian news outlet, Het Nieuwsblad.

On April 18, 2009 the Belgian stone-dumping vessel Pompeii was attacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Ten crew members were held hostage for more than 70 days. Eventually the hijackers were paid about two million [Euros] in ransom. Mohamed Abdi Hassan is seen by the researchers as the organizer of the hijacking. In October 2013, he was lured to our country [Belgium] for a fictional film project. At that time, Mohamed Moalin-Aden was also arrested.

False Start

The process got off to a false start in September 2015 when Afweyne failed to deliver documents. His lawyer Hans Rieder could indeed not see with the Public Prosecutor (OM) a lot of documents had been added to the file at the last moment.

By default it was progressed federal prosecutor twenty years in prison. The court ultimately sentenced him for [his part in] torture. At the reading of the verdict the judge noted that twenty years was the maximum sentence. The new legislation provide the maximum penalty in future cases of 40 years.

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Source: oceanuslive.org