The public prosecutor of East Flanders has started an investigation into Veerle Baeyens, the mayor of Haaltert (N-VA). It does so after a sharp investigation by Audit Vlaanderen, which pointed out possible conflicts of interest and subsidy fraud.
The mayor of Haaltert is once again in the spotlight. Last year, this editors announced that they wanted to fire a police inspector after he handed out fines to party members who parked incorrectly when they visited a local N-VA dinner party. This time it concerns the award of a project subsidy for an event during the Tour of Flanders last year. The opposition parties in Haaltert protested because an association involving Baeyens’ husband wrongly claimed those subsidies. Despite a negative advice from the file manager, the application was nevertheless approved.
Audit Vlaanderen conducted an investigation which revealed that there may have been a conflict of interest and subsidy fraud. Because it may have been about crimes, the report of Audit Flanders was also submitted to the Central Anti-Corruption Service (CDBC).
It now appears that the public prosecutor of East Flanders has also started an investigation into Baeyens. Press magistrate Annelies Verstraete confirms this to this editor. For the time being, the public prosecutor’s office does not want to communicate about the content of the investigation in the interest of the investigation. But it would certainly be an investigation into conflicts of interest and subsidy fraud.
In a short response, Baeyens says that there was no fraudulent intent in awarding the subsidies. “The public prosecutor must do what it thinks it must do.”
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