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Bushido as a witness in court (archive): A rapper unpacks
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STR / AFP
Bushido talks and talks.
Arafat Abou-Chaker listens carefully to the rapper.
Now and then he takes notes and speaks to his defense attorney.
At first, the head of a Berlin clan was sitting quietly in the dock.
But with every hour that Bushido speaks as a witness in front of the Berlin Regional Court on Wednesday, the defendant seems more angry.
Bushido tells how the influence Abou-Chaker had on his life gradually increased.
Anis Ferchichi, the real name of the rapper, reported on the previous day of the negotiations that the clan chief forced him to give up 30 percent of all income in 2004.
Now he says how much money Arafat Abou-Chaker allegedly earned from him over the years: "Officially nine million".
How much it should have been unofficially, he doesn't say.
Bushido jumps back and forth between the years and the protagonists.
You can't always follow him straight away.
On the next day of the trial, the judges, the public prosecutor and the defense want to question the musician about all the details and hints that he has provided so far.
There should be a lot of questions.
And if what Bushido says is correct, then one particular question arises: Why did he go along with it all for so long?
"50,000 euros for what?"
In Bushido's portrayal, he paid constantly.
In 2004 Arafat Abou-Chaker "ordered" him 50,000 euros to the "Schöneberger Jungs" to pay "King Ali".
The young men said they were supposed to help Bushido out of the contract with his former label Aggro Berlin.
According to Bushido, they didn't, which is why he ultimately brought Abou-Chaker into his life, who then settled the matter.
"Sorry," interrupts the judge, "50,000 euros for what?"
Exactly, says Bushido.
Good question.
"You have to think of it as a transfer fee in football," he explains, "because, to put it simply, you have changed clubs."
He should have paid the Schönebergers so that they would stay away from him in the future.
He says he gave Abou-Chaker the 50,000 euros.
"I don't know who got how much of it."
In 2005 Bushido's career really started.
Business was good.
Abou-Chaker initially stayed out of everything.
And Bushido gave him money in cash at irregular intervals.
One day the clan chief summoned him anyway.
"He was pissed off at 180," says Bushido: "What about the money? When do I get my money? Whether he has to buff my face so I can see how things are going here."
It was then that he noticed how well Abou-Chaker was informed about his business.
A job for the cousin
At the end of 2005 he founded his own label, says Bushido, "Ersguterjunge".
In 2006 Arafat Abou-Chaker decided that his cousin should officially become an employee and receive monthly money.
From then on, the cousin received 1200 euros net per month.
In 2006, his tax advisor wondered about the account movements that were caused by the payments to Abou-Chaker, says Bushido.
That is why he signed a management contract with Abou-Chaker in January 2007.
In March 2007 he then became a partner in "Ersguterjunge" - and his influence continued to grow.
Arafat Abou-Chaker was definitely present in the label, introduced himself to everyone and said that anyone could contact him if necessary.
The judge asks whether this offer has been accepted.
Bushido says he remembers a situation.
Two artists wanted to dissolve the contract with "Ersguterjunge", together they then spoke with the two and made a settlement.
Abou-Chaker was also present at a contract negotiation with Universal.
Then the clan chief suggested a real estate deal, a house in Berlin-Lichterfelde could be bought for around 950,000 euros.
"I wanted to buy it," says Bushido.
In the course of the transaction, Abou-Chaker suggested setting up a real estate company together.
And so it happened: "A & F" is the name of the company, the first letters of their last name.
"At no time was I informed about what A&F was doing," says Bushido.
He had no knowledge of the transactions and balance sheets.
"I never asked."
At some point, in 2008 or 2009, there should have been trouble with the tax office.
Abouch-Chaker yelled at and hit an allegedly responsible employee.
Bushido says he had Abou-Chaker tell him to change tax advisor.
Now they had the same.
When there was renewed trouble, the clan chief suggested the next tax advisor.
Again he agreed.
"Why didn't you say: 'I want to have tax advisor XY?'" Asks the judge.
"Because that wasn't possible," says Bushido.
"If Arafat said something, it was done. Period."
Power of attorney issued in the Maldives
In 2010, Abou-Chaker offered him another real estate deal, a former Russian barracks in Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg, and the deal should be completed by the end of 2010.
But Bushido flew to the Maldives over Christmas.
Abou-Chaker then requested a power of attorney.
Bushido says he asked why a general power of attorney was necessary and whether a special power of attorney might not suffice.
But his doubts had been talked out of him.
Bushido raises his voice.
"I haven't given him a general power of attorney so that he can do anything except get married," he says, "but only for this particular business."
He trusted him.
The judge wants to know more precisely.
"That was all on a business level? Or was it friendly?"
"It's a mix of them," replies Bushido.
"We were very closely interwoven at the time. We have actually done everything together since 2004."
"Did you never have the idea of withdrawing the general power of attorney at some point?" Asks Abou-Chaker's lawyer.
No, says Bushido.
He simply forgot the power of attorney.
Abou-Chaker then called him on December 27, 2010 in the Maldives.
Bushido had to transfer 700,000 euros because the banks had not kept to the agreement.
He transferred the money.
When their tax advisor wanted to sell them a "secret plan" for 140,000 euros, with which it would be possible that they would not have to pay real estate transfer tax for their Rüdersdorf property, he also paid this sum.
The secret plan, however, was no good.
They still had to pay the real estate transfer tax.
Bushido says he never saw the 140,000 euros again.
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