There will be no court-led investigation into the source of the leak of a speech by Geert Wilders’ lawyer, ahead of the MP’s trial for inciting hatred and discrimination, judges in Amsterdam said on Thursday.

One day before the first procedural hearing in the case, the AD published extracts from Geert-Jan Knoops opening arguments, leading the lawyer to call for an investigation into the leak and suggesting his computer may have been hacked.

It later transpired the Volkskrant too had been offered the documents.

Judges said on Thursday they will not look into the leak because it is not the job of the court. Knoops’ call for a delay in the trial until the leak has been found was also turned down.

Knoops told reporters his own investigation is underway. There is no evidence that either his or Wilders’ computers had been hacked, Knoops is quoted as saying. He and Wilders have not yet made a police complaint about a physical leak.

The Volkskrant speculated at the time that the leak may have come from the Wilders’ camp itself. ‘It is well known that people in Wilders’ circles leak information. For example, various papers, including the AD and NRC, have quoted from emails sent by the party leader to MPs as well as text messages,’ the paper said.

Experts

The court on Thursday also ruled out all the experts which the defence wanted to call, saying they are ‘unnecessary in judging the criminal case’.

In addition, a demand by the defence that one judge – Elianne van Rens – be dismissed from the bench was also rejected. Wilders wanted her off the case because he said, statements she had made showed she was prejudiced against him.

Knoops has not yet commented on Thursday’s developments, the Telegraaf says.

Fundamental issues

The trial of the anti-Islam campaigner and MP centres on two fundamental issues – the ban on discrimination and the right to freedom of expression – the public prosecutor said last month.

Wilders is facing charges of inciting hatred and discrimination following a gathering with supporters in The Hague in March 2014.

During the meeting, Wilders asked the crowd ‘and do you want more or fewer Moroccans in your city and in the Netherlands?’ To which the crowd chanted ‘fewer, fewer, fewer’. ‘We’ll arrange that,’ Wilders said, smiling, when the chanting died down.

The trial proper is due to start in October.