Once they rapped together, now they sit together in the courtroom. So rapper Shindy should actually testify in the process of his ex-buddy Bushido against clan leader Arafat Abou-Chaker. But apparently he thinks that silence is golden - and even accepts a fine for it.
In the trial of rapper Bushido against his former business partner Arafat Abou-Chaker, a fine was imposed on singer Shindy. The reason is the silence of the 33-year-old as a witness in court. Shindy, whose real name is Michael Schindler, refused to answer several questions without reason, the Berlin district court said. A fine of 1,000 euros was imposed on the musician, alternatively eight days of imprisonment. The lawyer for the rapper, who had traveled from Munich, announced a complaint against this decision.
Shindy appeared on the 75th day of the trial against clan leader Abou-Chaker and three of his brothers with a witness. The lawyer stated that his client had a comprehensive right to refuse to testify. The background is a criminal tax proceeding against him. It is about the business relationships with Abou-Chaker and Bushido. The court has deferred a decision on a further application by the public prosecutor's office for six months' preventive detention.
The process is about alleged crimes against Bushido, whose real name is Anis Mohamed Ferchichi. The charges are deprivation of liberty, attempted aggravated extortion, coercion, dangerous bodily harm and insult. According to the rapper, his longtime manager and his brothers are said to have locked him up, verbally abused, threatened and injured him on January 18, 2018. His ex-partner had requested unauthorized payments.
The court found that Shindy had to answer questions that were not related to the criminal tax proceedings. Without reason, he refused to testify when asked, among other things, whether he knew Abou-Chaker and the joint plaintiff Ferchichi. With a complaint from the witness, the dispute goes to the Berlin Superior Court. The 33-year-old's lawyer said his client would bow to a decision by the appeals court.
According to current plans, the 43-year-old Bushido, who was in the courtroom as a joint plaintiff, is to be questioned as a witness on August 15 for an audio file that is said to have been made secretly at a meeting between him and his ex-manager that was crucial to the proceedings . The trial will resume on August 10th.
