The session was interrupted in the middle of a vote while the councilors were busy debating a point concerning the City Mall shopping center project. It was councilors Ecolo and PTB, members of the opposition, who had requested the addition of this point, in order to allow a debate between the different political parties, in public session, on the state of the situation in the perimeter of revitalization of Spintay and the revival of the city center but also to urgently request the municipal college to clarify its position on the subject of the four agreements with which the City of Verviers is linked to this promoter who owes him more than one million euros. “We want the college to explain its vision to us on this project. It has become Kafkaesque,” said Hajib El Hajjaji (Ecolo). While the latter was busy presenting his point, he was interrupted by the president, who reproached him for not respecting the ROI (internal rules of procedure) by launching the debate and expressing himself from the outset on the substance , before the board could decide whether or not to have this discussion by vote.
The tone then rose between the advisers. The Mayor of the City of Verviers, Muriel Targnion, then intervened to propose the holding of a specific council devoted to the City Mall project. “This is a crucial debate for Verviers and which must take place,” she said. “This is a project that has already caused a lot of nuisance to Verviers by not being carried out. Holding a debate today without having all the elements in hand would confuse citizens. City Mall also records all our public expressions about him and will not fail to use them against us, you have to be very careful about that”. If these remarks were welcomed by the councilors of the opposition, the latter persisted in wanting to obtain answers. The point was finally withdrawn and the session was suspended, under the howls of the opposition, believing that there was a denial of democracy.
The municipal council was able to resume later in the evening.