Politician Filip Dewinter (Vlaams Belang) received a police report after he drove through a red light on the John F. Kennedylaan in Zelzate at the end of July, more than four seconds after the light had turned red. Dewinter expresses his displeasure on X (formerly Twitter). “The Ghent public prosecutor is asking for the lifting of my parliamentary immunity.”
The Antwerp politician was driving his Maserati Ghibli (starting price 112,969 euros, ed.) on Saturday, July 29, at a little after 5 p.m., on the John F. Kennedylaan in the direction of Ghent, when he saw the traffic light turn red. He slowed down, but he didn’t stop. More than four seconds after the light had turned red, and the orange light had also been on for five seconds, he drove through the red light at a speed of 27 kilometers per hour.
After 42 years driving license, sorry but can happen. A whole procedure while a fine could also have been done and would save a lot of costs
A third-degree offense that can cost him up to 500 euros and a driving ban. Dewinter expressed his displeasure on Twitter, where he publicly posted the official report. “The Ghent public prosecutor’s office is asking for my parliamentary immunity to be lifted because… I drove through a red light at 27 kilometers per hour, without an accident, without intoxication, without a criminal record… nothing! After 42 years driving license, sorry but can happen. A whole procedure while a fine could also have been done and would save a lot of costs,” it sounds.
Regulations
What exactly does ‘parliamentary immunity’ entail? In concrete terms, this means that a number of special rules apply in criminal proceedings directed against a Member of Parliament. “Parliamentary immunity is intended to ensure that work in parliament cannot be disrupted by arbitrary or politically motivated actions by the judiciary and executive, or even citizens. The special regulations only apply during the session of the Flemish Parliament and only for criminal cases. The members of parliament, like all citizens, remain subject to all criminal laws, and are therefore not “immune”, but there are a few special rules in the criminal procedure,” reads the website of the Flemish Parliament.
For example, a member of parliament may only be arrested or brought to court if the Flemish Parliament agrees. With the latter we speak of the “lifting of parliamentary immunity”. Meanwhile, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ghent confirms that the request to the Flemish Parliament to lift the immunity has been sent. It remains to be seen when this question will be dealt with.
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