Barbara Gandolfi Released from Prison with Ankle Bracelet: Updates on Human Trafficking and Prostitution Case

“I have seen and done so much in my life in recent years. But today I am very happy in my work. In that sense, maybe I hope to be an inspiration to other women. It’s never too late to change your life completely.”

Barbara Gandolfi (48) said this a year and a half ago in an extensive conversation with this newspaper. She had completely left her jet-set life – for years next to the star actor Jean-Paul Belmondo – and the night life as a manager of various swingers clubs. She proudly stated that she was her own boss as a “network marketer” for an American company.

READ IN. Arrested while visiting father-in-law in cell: Barbara Gandolfi arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and prostitution

But at the end of March, the Ostend woman was suddenly locked in prison. She was arrested when she went to visit her father-in-law in prison. This concerns the father of Frédéric V. (49), her former husband and the father of her children. He is considered by the West Flemish justice system to be a key figure in a broken prostitution gang.

It is suspected that the man is attracting young women from Eastern Europe to work in an Ostend bar or striptease club. However, the court suspects that he sexually exploited the women. The public prosecutor’s office spoke last month about a human trafficking and sexual exploitation file. Nine people were arrested.

From the cell, Gandolfi announced that she had nothing to do with her ex-husband’s habits. She thanked her friends for their support. “Some days are a little easier than others. Here I take the time to write a lot, which helps me process many events from the past,” she wrote on social media. Gandolfi also said he would come out “even stronger than ever”.

READ IN. A year after the death of Jean-Paul Belmondo, his Flemish lover Barbara Gandolfi looks back for the first time: “We never slept together. ever”

She has been locked up in prison for almost six weeks, but on Tuesday the prosecution chamber (KI) in Ghent decided that she could leave the prison. This will be confirmed to our editors. She remains in custody in the case, but is allowed to leave the cell under electronic monitoring. According to our information, she still vehemently denies all the allegations.