2023-09-22 15:36:18
Knokke-Heist is placed under increased surveillance by Flemish Interior Minister Bart Somers (Open VLD) following a judicial audit carried out by Audit Flanders. Which means that the municipality is placed under the supervision of the provincial governor, Carl Decaluwé, for the making of certain decisions including those relating to the subject of the audit. These will be examined in depth. If the municipality did not wish to communicate the content of the report at the start of the week, our colleagues from The last news were able to consult its 122 pages.
For several months, the political situation in Knokke-Heist has been turbulent. Alderman Kris Demeyere (GBL) has been the subject of ongoing controversy, particularly due to alleged conflicts of interest in certain files. He ended up being suspended on May 24 before resigning on August 31 in an open letter published on his website. Letter in which the alderman also denies all allegations once morest him. Since these events, the forensic audit and report have been carried out and completed. Among them, the name of former alderman Kris Demeyer appears regularly. The latter has recently spoken out. He accuses the report of being inaccurate and also those who communicate on this subject of undermining the rule of law.
The content of the report
Irregularities were highlighted in the audit report. They concern the manner in which the municipal administration of Knokke-Heist and Kris Demeyere acted when renting cars from the fleet, as well as in matters of maintenance and repairs. Knokke-Heist awarded eight public contracts to Belfius Auto Lease between 2012 and 2023. In total, 133 cars were affected, more than half of which were Nissan or Renault brands.
The report states that Kris Demeyere, also a former shipowner and mechanic, supplied a large number of these cars through his Demeyere garage. This leads the authors of the audit to believe that there may have been a conflict of interest as well as a breach of the ethics of the directors. Furthermore, the report establishes that Kris Demeyere was well aware that the cars were intended for administrations by the fact that he granted specific discounts for local administrations. Finally, the report completes by asserting with arguments that Demeyere played an active role in vehicle fleet policy.
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