2023-09-08 11:12:46
Shocked by the “Pipigate” controversy, the Belgian Minister of Justice has explained himself. Vincent Van Quickenborne was summoned this Thursday before the Belgian House of Representatives to defend himself, accused of having lied after this incident which marred his birthday party on August 14 in Kortrijk.
As a reminder, the man is at the heart of a vast controversy in Outre-Quiévrain after three guests at the evening urinated on a police vehicle which was parked near the minister’s home. He was deployed as part of a security device put in place for several months because of death threats that Vincent Van Quickenborne suffered. An investigation for “contempt” has been opened by the Kortrijk prosecutor’s office.
“I asked these people to make themselves known”
The Belgian Minister of Justice reaffirmed in Parliament that he had not seen three guests at his birthday party urinate on a police van outside his home and apologized: “I would like to apologize to all the police officers of the country (…) I completely understand that this made them indignant and disappointed. It is absolutely inadmissible”, he underlined during an extraordinary hearing which lasted three hours before the deputies of the Justice Committee.
In front of the Belgian parliamentarians, the Minister of Justice assured that he had advanced the investigation by asking the three suspects to present themselves to the prosecution, which was able to have them interviewed. “I called them and insulted them,” he maintained. “I asked these people to make themselves known (to the investigators), if they had not done so I would not have hesitated to transmit their names”, he added.
New images that sow trouble
But the case rebounded on Monday with the revelations of Flemish public television VRT. She claims that around 4 a.m. the minister appeared on CCTV footage outside his home. According to the images to which the media has had access, we can clearly see him at this moment imitating the behavior of a person urinating while he was accompanying a guest, “one of his best friends”, insisted Vincent Van Quickenborne .
The minister then decided to show another Flemish channel, VTM, his own images from cameras fixed to his home. He chose to broadcast them to MPs on Thursday to plead his innocence, as reported by the VRT. On these, we see him visibly tipsy escorting his last guest to the doorstep at 4 a.m., before leaning back as if to mimic the gesture of someone urinating, next to him. from his friend who seems hilarious.
Vincent Van Quickenborne assured that he did not remember the meaning of this gesture and that no link could be deduced from it with the actions of the three suspects. “I play dry guitar, maybe it’s a guitar movement,” he defended himself. “I find it surreal to have to explain every minute of this evening. I have to prove my innocence, it’s the opposite of the rule of law. But I do it anyway, I have no other choice, ”he added, reports the VRT.
The Prime Minister speaks of “unacceptable behavior”
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who made a brief appearance at the birthday party, was himself questioned on Thursday by a journalist during a press conference in Brussels which focused on another subject. “I was there and I didn’t see anything either, but what is clear is that the behavior of some guests is completely unacceptable and an apology to the police is absolutely necessary,” he said. declared.
Explanations that have not really convinced, while several police unions are demanding the resignation of the Minister of Justice since the revelation of this case. One of the deputies present in committee, the Flemish Social Democrat Ben Segers declared that he “struggled to find the words to express the perplexity and the incredulity” which were his in the face of the hearing which was taking place.
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