2023-09-26 04:30:00
The life of an alderman is a bit like that of a minister, local version. And as is often the case, the lives of these members of local executives are punctuated by speeches, receptions or trips, appointments that need to be made at the restaurant. To do this, certain elected officials can grant themselves a certain budget in order to provide themselves with appropriate clothing, to pay for travel or to pay the restaurant bill, for example. It is also not uncommon for it to be customary to offer a gift to one’s host or guest. This budget, called “representation costs”, is granted at a fairly free discretion by the municipal colleges following their training.
Sometimes, as in Schaerbeek or Molenbeek, it happens that elected officials choose not to grant themselves a single cent for their representation expenses, a political choice that is as rare as it is accepted but which does not exclude other advantages. In Saint-Josse, the elected officials (PS or ex-PS, in view of the saga which tore the formation apart at the start of the year) enjoy a sum of 1784 euros per year as representation expenses. Emir Kir, as mayor, can benefit from 3,512 euros. This choice, whether it calls for or not, belongs to the elected representatives of Tennood and is completely legal.
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Note also the ease of finding this data on the municipality’s website, which is not the case for many other Brussels municipalities. The remonstrance of the supervisory authority on this subject, following a complaint filed by municipal councilor Pauline Warnotte (Ecolo) may have something to do with it.
The latter also looked into the representation costs of Dorah Illunga, the alderman for Employment, Social Affairs (CPAS), and International Relations. In 2019, freshly re-elected, the ex-PS used her representation fees in perfumes, makeup, clothing… So far, nothing controversial. But certain receipts that the DH was able to consult leave some doubts regarding their usefulness for an alderwoman. We note, for example, the purchase of garter belts and their lace stockings, a packet of Marlboro Gold, pajamas, a hand of bananas or many fast food tickets. In this context, it is necessary to ask the question of the merits of these expenses. Alderwoman Illunga assures that these costs have never posed a problem. “Representation costs are subject to control at a double level, administrative on the one hand by the municipal receiver and final validation by the College.”
Blurry regarding legality
Also, the Tennood alderwoman highlights the lack of clarity as to what can be considered fresh or not. “There is no precise definition of what is eligible in terms of expenses but we rely on everyone’s common sense to be attentive. If there may therefore have been a few exceptions, they confirm here the rule of good management since we are talking regarding several years which have been analyzed.” The former socialist believes that regional supervision should define this definition. “It gives us a lot of power,” replies the latter, who refers to the New Municipal Law. In its article 19, it stipulates that the government sets the maximum amounts of representation expenses that colleges can grant, and that these must be justified. So far, everything seems legal.
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Despite several searches, we were unable to find the municipal receiver at the time, who validated these expenses. But another former senior official admits that these expenses may raise questions. “For this case, it seems unacceptable to me, it remains public money. However, it is always difficult for the receiver to assess such a case because he defends the interests of the municipality, while being judged by the College. That said, this may be due to a misunderstanding by Alderwoman Illunga, and the financial damage remains very negligible.”
Four iPhones in four years
Another advantage enjoyed by Tennood’s elected officials (and many others) is a function telephone. Iphones, in this case. Since taking office in 2019, Dorah Illunga has received four. The first, from its predecessor, received on January 21, 2019, lost on April 10. Two days later, she received an iPhone 11, then an iPhone 12 mini on February 28, 2022. Finally, since March 11, 2022 (i.e. two weeks following receiving the previous phone), the alderman has had an iPhone 13 Except for the first phone whose loss was justified by an official document, no document had been provided justifying the receipt of a new phone. “Everything is in order concerning me,” assures the alderwoman. The inventory was not up to date.”
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A justification that the Ecolo municipal councilor, Pauline Warnotte, doubts. “It is surprising that on the sheets of other people (concerned by this advantage, Editor’s note), a resumption date is mentioned and not on his.” For her, what matters most is the transparency of municipal administration. “It’s all the more disturbing because I’ve been trying to get this information for months. Either there is indeed a problem of archiving and monitoring, or there is a problem of confusion between municipal heritage and personal heritage, or both. Either way, it’s bad management.” Here too, our previously well-placed source expresses doubts. “It is a practice observed in many administrations to lose your phone. But what politician loses his work tool once a year? It’s incredible.”
Let’s be fair, there is no point here in accusing the alderwoman without proof but in asking the more global question of what is done with public funds. Underwear, clothes, restaurants, telephones… In the end, the sums involved are minimal at the municipal level. But, in the municipality whose inhabitants are the poorest in the country, what messages are sent through this spending?
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