PostNL Belgium CEO Rudy Van Rillaer may remain in prison for another two weeks. Van Rillaer was supposed to be released today, but the Belgian judiciary has appealed and it could take up to two weeks before a decision is made.
The judiciary has also appealed against the release of operational manager John de Bruyn. A third suspect was released.
The Belgian justice suspects the three top people of the Belgian branch of PostNL, among other things, of labor exploitation, referred to as human trafficking, forgery and the formation of a criminal organization. The abuses may have occurred at subcontractors of the company.
Contact ban
Van Rillaer would therefore be released under conditions today. Those conditions were that he was not allowed to have contact with other suspects from the investigation, that he must remain available to the judiciary and that he must have a permanent residence. There were no conditions attached to the release of two other directors.
PostNL says in a response that it regrets the course of events. “We understand today that two of our colleagues will be detained even longer,” a spokesperson said. “We now have to wait and see how the labor prosecutor’s appeal against the release will be judged. Our primary concern is and remains to get our colleagues back to their families as soon as possible.”
PostNL previously told the NOS that it adheres to all laws and regulations in both Belgium and the Netherlands.
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