Since the beginning of the trial, nude searches have taken place in Haren prison, just before the transfer to the Justitia site. Until a few days ago, these were still accompanied by squats, but that came to an end at the beginning of last week after a request from six accusers.
The naked searches still take place consistently, the accused confirmed at the start of the hearing. These were based on a directive from Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld), which justified the daily searches. However, according to a new directive of 15 March, individual decisions will no longer be taken on a possible nude search on a daily basis. From now on, a document will be sent every week that, according to the defense lawyers, justifies the searches for a whole week. The accused still denounce the systematic nature of the searches to which they are subjected.