Ruling in Sky ECC mega-trial appeal expected on 2 April 2026
The Brussels court of appeal will rule on 2 April 2026 in the Encrochat/Sky drugs trial. The defence criticised errors in police reports and asked for extreme caution.
Sky ECC appeal case concluded, judgment to follow in April 2026
The judgment in the appeal trial concerning the Encrochat/Sky drugs case — a large-scale drug trafficking operation between Belgium and Latin America — will be delivered on 2 April 2026. The presiding judge of the Brussels court of appeal announced this on Wednesday, according to BRUZZ.
Wednesday's hearing marked the conclusion of the second phase of the file, with the defence's closing arguments. Encrochat is the encrypted messaging service that was popular in criminal circles and was cracked by law enforcement agencies in 2021.
Lawyer Karim Sedad, counsel for Pascal R., criticised "elements of file manipulation" in his pleading. Master Parewyck, who represents Abdelwahab G. and Mounir N., added a series of additional elements to his earlier pleading. He pointed to inconsistencies in the banking investigation conducted into Mounir N. and requested on those grounds the dismissal of the prosecution against his client.
For Abdelwahab G. — regarded as number two in the network — the same lawyer pointed to inaccuracies in police reports concerning observations of the suspect. "Have you ever found such a large number of errors in a case of this kind? In a traditional trial, there would have been an immediate question of dismissal," said Parewyck. He called on the court to exercise "extreme caution" in its deliberations.
After the closing arguments, the approximately fifty defendants were given the opportunity for final submissions. Some were absent or stated they had nothing to add. Some wished to thank the court for its "favourable" approach and the "calmer" debates compared to the first instance proceedings.
The appeal trial began on 15 September at the Justitia courthouse in Haren under strict security. Since then, the trial has continued four days per week without interruption.
Source: BRUZZ