He then signed a non-competition clause, in return for compensation of 4.5 months’ salary, which ran until December 22, 2022. But this was not respected, according to RTBF. In June 2022, the journalist hosted a video capsule broadcast on the Sudinfo website. The two media then find an arrangement in August with a new agreement which stipulates that Benjamin Maréchal has the right to produce and broadcast capsules on a website, but is prohibited from appearing on television.
But now, on October 19, the journalist intervenes in the RTL-TVI program, “The Belgians facing the crisis: how to get out of it?”. RTBF then took legal action and on November 2, the court of first instance forced Sudinfo and RTL to respect the agreement under pain of a fine of 25,000 euros for the journalist and 75,000 euros for SudMedia or RTL Belgium.
The case went on appeal, but the court once once more ruled in favor of RTBF, finding that there was “a serious risk of serious harm” for the public media. Benjamin Maréchal’s lawyers defended that their client had intervened as an external guest on RTL-TVI and that he had not been paid for it. They also pleaded “unlawful interference with freedom of information”. “If RTL considers it necessary to disclose information in a linear television program, they just have to call on anyone other than Mr. Maréchal until December 22, 2022”, replies the court in the judgment which confirmed the judgment in first case.
