The largest drugs trial in Limburg has been postponed once more after recusal requests submitted by the lawyers of Bandido leader Geert Frisson caused further delays. A new hearing date has been set for 8 October to determine whether proceedings can resume.
In a surprising turn of events on Tuesday morning, Frisson’s lawyers—Hans Rieder, Louis De Groote, and Sam Vlaminck—filed motions to recuse two of the three judges handling the case. Their actions caught both fellow lawyers and members of the press off guard.
The lawyers claim that the court’s composition was not random and allege that the chairperson and one associate judge were deliberately assigned to the case. “Frisson, like any other individual, has the right to have his case evaluated by independent and impartial judges capable of considering it freely and without bias,” the lawyers stated in a press release. They also pointed out that six judges have already been involved in the case since proceedings began, some of whom had been replaced but are now reintroduced.
As a result, the high-profile "Costa" trial is on hold for at least another month. The two judges in question now have two days to decide whether to accept the recusal and step down or reject it and continue. Once the recusal request was announced, the trial was immediately paused. If the judges step aside, new judges must be assigned, who will then need to familiarise themselves with the extensive case files.
Should the judges refuse to recuse themselves, their response and the initial recusal request will be forwarded to the Court of Appeal in Antwerp. This court will then rule on the matter. The last time a recusal request was filed in this case, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision within three weeks. To accommodate these potential delays, the trial has been officially postponed to 8 October.
“This recusal disrupts the functioning of the court significantly,” said court spokesperson Luc De Cleir. “Under current legal frameworks, the impact of a recusal request on the court’s schedule is substantial. The court is required by law to follow the recusal procedure, which necessitates suspending the case.”
This latest development adds yet another hurdle to the already complex and lengthy Costa trial, one of Limburg’s most high-profile drug crime cases.
