PS member Maurice Lafosse (88) is taking the Chamber to court because of pension extras | inland

In recent weeks, parliament has been in the eye of the storm because of the pension bonuses that MPs can enjoy. For example, it became clear a few weeks ago that MPs can increase their statutory maximum pension of EUR 7,813 gross per month by 20%, up to EUR 9,375 per month. This is subject to the condition that the pension rights of other jobs performed in the past are accumulated.

But the 20% bonus has only existed in the Chamber since 2014, while it has been in force in the Flemish and Walloon parliaments and in the Senate since 2004. And that is “discrimination”, according to Maurice Lafosse (88). The former Member of Parliament filed a lawsuit before the French-speaking court of first instance in Brussels. Last weekend he laid down his final conclusions, on September 6 the judge will give his verdict. Lafosse is supported by the influential association of ex-parliamentarians, vzw Pro Lege. He and the non-profit organization are convinced that the favorable arrangement of 20% should be applied equally in every parliament.

With Maurice Lafosse, the Parti Socialiste suddenly comes into view in the file of the pension extras of the Chamber. Lafosse is well known as the former mayor of the city of Mons, an important bastion of power for the French-speaking socialists. He reigned there between 1989 and 2000, after which he was succeeded by Elio Di Rupo (PS). In addition to being a Member of Parliament, Lafosse was also a Senator for the Province of Hainaut in the 1980s. Several times during his active career, Lafosse was discredited for scandals. The last time was in 2017, when it turned out that, as a former mayor, he had been renting a two-bedroom social home for ten years for the dirt-cheap price of 75 euros per month. His son, Pascal Lafosse, who was alderman in Bergen at the time, also had to leave because of fraud.

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