The local police of Wavre proceeded this Thursday morning to the arrest of five people assigned to administrative tasks at the vaccination center installed at the Jules Collette room in Bierges.
According to our information, the individuals were picked up at their homes and were heard by the police as part of an investigation for Covid Safe Ticket fraud. They are suspected of having encoded false vaccination certificates for people who did not want to be vaccinated.
In December, the Walloon Agency for a Quality Life (AVIQ) informed the courts of its doubts concerning a certain number of cases identified during the checks that the agency carries out constantly. An investigation was therefore opened and entrusted to an examining magistrate.
“Using a fake CST is punishable by law, recalls Lara Kotlar, spokesperson for AVIQ. It is a forgery and a use of forgery, and beyond that, you put yourself in danger and you put other people in danger. Being recognized as vaccinated when you are not can have repercussions, especially in the hospital. We saw in France this lady who announced to be vaccinated and who in reality was not. Sadly, there was a tragic end for her as she did not receive the treatment she should have received. It is therefore not trivial. “
For counterfeiters, the consequences can therefore be health and legal. And possible prosecutions concern both the people who issue the false certificates and those who profit from them and pay for them.
At this stage, it is not known how many fake CSTs have been issued in Wavre. Wallonia, through the AVIQ, will become a civil party in this case.
