The times when rapper Bushido and his ex-manager stood together on the red carpet are over. For years it’s been about why they separated – and what happened next.
For around three and a half years, the Berlin Regional Court has been trying to clarify in a criminal case what happened after the rapper Bushido separated from his long-time business partner. The court will deliver its verdict on February 5th. “I’m glad it’s finally ending,” said former manager Arafat A.-Ch. as the main defendant in his last word on Friday. His co-accused brothers joined in.
On what is now the 113th day of the trial, the floor belonged to the defense of 47-year-old A.-Ch., who is considered the Berlin clan boss, and his brothers. As expected, the focus of the pleas was on the musician Bushido and his wife Anna-Maria Ferchichi. The defense lawyers pleaded for an acquittal of criminal offenses against the musician.
“The court must decide whether the information provided by Mr. and Ms. Ferchichi can be relied upon,” said lawyer Martin Rubbert. The rapper, whose real name is Anis Mohamed Ferchichi, is a good entertainer, according to his colleague Hansgeorg Birkhoff. “What he says comes across fine. But does that mean what he says is true?”
Bushido is a witness and co-plaintiff
Bushido, who now lives with his family in Dubai, is a witness and co-plaintiff in the criminal proceedings. A large part of the allegations against A.-Ch. is based on the rapper’s statements. During 25 trial days he testified in court – sometimes in tears – and spoke of a “forced marriage” with A.-Ch. spoken. The musician did not attend the final phase of the trial and is also expected to be absent from the verdict.
The indictment accuses the ex-manager and his brothers of, among other things, attempted serious extortion, deprivation of liberty, coercion, grievous bodily harm and serious breach of trust. The main defendant is also charged with a series of unauthorized tape recordings. This has A.-Ch. admitted shortly before the end of the taking of evidence in the trial, which lasted around three and a half years.
The focus of the proceedings is an incident on January 18, 2018, in which Bushido is said to have been held against his will. He is said to have been attacked with a water bottle and a chair thrown at him. The alleged acts are said to have occurred after Bushido severed relations with his manager in 2017. His former business partner did not want to accept the separation and demanded a payment of millions from the musician and participation in his business for 15 years.
Defense attorney: No evidence to support charges
The defense sees no evidence of this and demanded that A.-Ch. to be acquitted of the main charges. The public prosecutor’s office relies primarily on the descriptions of Bushido. This is a core problem in taking evidence. But what matters is not a “compelling narrative,” but rather the burden of proof. The defense also sees the rapper’s statements refuted by a secretly recorded audio file that appeared in the trial at the beginning of 2022.
Birkhoff and Rubbert emphasized that there was no attempt at blackmail, deprivation of liberty or attempted bodily harm on the recording. Bushido and his lawyer Steffen Tzschoppe had doubted the authenticity of the recording and spoke of manipulation. An expert’s report in the summer of 2023 did not provide any clarity on this question. There is no evidence that the tape was falsified, said A.-Ch.’s defense attorneys. in her plea.
Defense attorney: Wife “driving force” for separation
From the lawyers’ point of view, Bushido’s wife Anna-Maria was a “driving force” in the separation of the musician and his long-time companion. She is a person who “knows very well how to assert her interests,” said Birkhoff.
The lawyers accused Senior Public Prosecutor Petra Leister of relying too much on the couple’s accounts – and not taking statements from other witnesses into account enough. The public prosecutor’s office “allowed itself to be harnessed to the wagon,” said lawyer Olaf Franke. The extensive taking of evidence was the “script of the witness,” who was a “mercilessly calculating” businessman. Attorney Rubbert said that when he heard Leister’s plea, he had the impression: “The round has to go into the square.”
The public prosecutor had for A.-Ch. A total sentence of four years, four months and one week in prison was required. For the co-defendants, she had requested total sentences ranging from seven months probation to two years and one month in prison.
The main defendant should only pay a small amount of legal costs
In the event that A.-Ch. is only sentenced to a fine in the trial, the public prosecutor has estimated a daily rate of 2,500 euros. The 47-year-old tried to hide his assets from the public prosecutor, said Leister. However, based on research and witness statements, she was convinced that he was wealthy. His defenders criticized this sharply.
For the unauthorized tape recordings, Arafat’s lawyers applied for A.-Ch. a “punishment that is appropriate and appropriate”. In addition, his client would be entitled to prison compensation for around two weeks, which he was wrongly held in custody for possible crimes against Bushido in January 2019. A.-Ch. is said to have benefited from the immense legal costs. According to her plea, he would only have to pay a tenth if he was acquitted of the main charges.