2023-10-18 14:39:06
The Namur criminal court acquitted seven defendants on Wednesday, including two officials from the public procurement and heritage department, who had to answer for forgery, use of forgery, embezzlement by an official and taking interest.
The public prosecutor estimated that the seven defendants had hijacked more than 250 vehicles. The facts in question date back to 2016, before the creation of the Fin Shop, established by the FPS Finances to sell seized objects. “The defendants set up a system allowing them to shamelessly enrich themselves to the detriment of the State“, estimated the substitute Debelle during the hearing on September 20. “The officials concerned were in charge of the seized vehicles. If they were wrecks, they had to be sold in batches to approved wreckers for destruction. The other vehicles had to be the subject of public sales,” he said. he exposes.
“These officials did not hold a competitive tender and did not evaluate all the vehicles in order to favor the interests of seller friends. Some vehicles were sold in wreck lots when they were not. . Sellers came to collect cars when they had not yet been paid for“, he continued. In her judgment, the judge considered that the establishment of the Fin Shop had been done in confusion. The officials concerned had the mission to urgently empty nearly 87 emergency sites hosting vehicles seized.”This objective of efficiency was accompanied by an unfortunate haste“, we can read in the judgment, which also mentions incomplete accounting and confusion in the management of the various services concerned within the administration.
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