The trial against Arafat Abou-Chaker and three of his brothers in Berlin, in which Bushido plays an important role, has been going on for almost two years. After a last day in court on Thursday, it’s time for the summer break. Only then should the rapper testify again.
Bushido and the clan boss, that’s a long story. What was once friendship has turned into enmity. The rapper has already described his view of things in detail, in court and in a series on Amazon. The process in Berlin has been going on for almost two years now. It will continue on Thursday, but probably only briefly, then there will be a summer break until August 3rd. Due to the corona, the rapper’s testimony failed again. It will probably take place in August.
Most recently, the Berlin Regional Court drew a sobering conclusion: According to the judges, some of the allegations against Arafat Abou-Chaker and three of his co-accused brothers have not been confirmed as things stand. Where is the process? An overview after 72 days of negotiations.
Why should the musician Bushido testify again?
During the process, an audio document emerged that is said to have been made secretly at a meeting between the rapper and his ex-manager on January 18, 2018, which was decisive for the process. The magazine “Stern” initially reported on this, and the audio file has also been available to the responsible criminal court since the beginning of February. The audio document has been transcribed and is now to be reviewed in the courtroom in the presence of Bushido.
Bushido, whose real name is Anis Mohamed Ferchichi, is the key witness in the criminal case, which has made many headlines. A large part of the allegations is based on the statements of the 43-year-old, who is also a joint plaintiff. The charges against Arafat Abou-Chaker and three of his brothers include deprivation of liberty, attempted severe extortion, coercion, dangerous bodily harm, insult and infidelity.
Why is this document important?
From the point of view of the defenders, the sound file refutes the representation of Bushido. During the 25 days of the process, the rapper reported on his life and in particular on his time with Arafat Abou-Chaker as manager. Sometimes he fought back tears. He compared his relationship with the clan chief to a forced marriage. For 16 years he was silent – “out of fear and honor”. His ex-business partner demanded up to 50 percent of his earnings as a rapper. At the meeting in January 2018, the main accused “literally exploded”, insulted and threatened him as a traitor and liar. Bushido: “He had no intention of allowing the separation.”
What does Bushido’s lawyer say about this?
The musician’s lawyer doubts the authenticity of the sound document. “From my point of view, it is at least a falsified file,” said Steffen Tzschoppe in the process. In connection with this, he sees many questions, such as: Is the recording available to the court the one on which the “Stern” report is based? Where is the recording from? Why is she only showing up now? Tzschoppe suspects that recordings could have been edited together. Unlike other illegal recordings, the file was not found on the clan chief’s confiscated mobile phone.
How are the accused behaving?
The 46-year-old clan chief and his brothers are silent, but sometimes cannot resist heckling. As free men, they come to the appointments in the criminal court – mostly strolling and sportively dressed. If Bushido appears in person, however, he is always taken to room 500, shielded by several masked bodyguards.
What role does Bushido’s wife Anna-Maria Ferchichi play?
Bushido said in the process that it was thanks to her that he took the step to separate from Arafat Abou-Chaker. The 40-year-old also has personal protection. Anna-Maria Ferchichi testified in court for a total of five days, but this dragged on for months because the interrogation had to be interrupted because of her triplet pregnancy. At the beginning of January, the mother of eight had to appear in court for the last time so far.
What do other witnesses say?
Several prominent rappers have appeared in the process, including Samra, Fler and Ali Bumaye. Most recently, the rapper Kay One came from Munich to ask questions about his time with Bushido and Arafat Abou-Chaker. He spoke of “best friends” and kept citing faded memories – he only saw his colleague and his manager at the time from 2007 to 2012. The Berlin rapper Fler had stated in the witness stand that from his point of view the two were a “perfect team”.
Is a judgment in sight in the process that has been running since August 17, 2020?
Bushido’s lawyer Tzschoppe does not expect the process to end quickly in the event that the tape could be judged to be genuine. From his point of view, the other dates that the 38th Great Criminal Court has planned until October 26th will also be used. All of the proposed witnesses have not yet been questioned. The interim report of the court is in the room, according to which the allegations of deprivation of liberty and the attempted severe extortion by robbery would not have been confirmed according to a preliminary assessment. But there are other allegations such as the misappropriation of 180,000 euros, coercion and dangerous bodily harm.
