Justice
The criminal investigation into the fraud of the Ghent Advocate General CB who passed on exam questions to a candidate magistrate is moving from Ghent to Antwerp or Brussels.
The public prosecutor’s office in Ghent opened a criminal investigation on Monday for violation of professional secrecy against Advocate General CB. The man admitted on Sunday that, as a member of the High Council for Justice, he had passed on the information about the magistrates’ examination in advance to one of the candidates, the son of a friendly couple of magistrates.
The criminal investigation must now determine, among other things, whether this was a one-off offense. CB had been part of the examination committee for three years. The research will not be conducted in Ghent. That is not possible because CB, the magistrate involved, is himself Advocate General in Ghent. The Ghent public prosecutor’s office has transferred the file, as required by law, to the Court of Cassation via the Justice Cabinet. The Ghent public prosecutor’s office confirms this.
The Court of Cassation will have to decide to which court of appeal the case will move, that of Brussels or that of Antwerp. During the course of the investigation, the qualification of the criminal investigation (currently violation of professional secrecy) may change or be expanded. In a statement, the Board of Attorneys General promised to use all means to ensure that the criminal investigation provides complete clarity in the case.
According to the Board, the discovery of a case of internal fraud by the Supreme Court of Justice itself indicates that our democratic constitutional state is functioning correctly. “What has come to light should not undermine citizens’ confidence in the magistracy and the functioning of the Belgian legal system,” it said.
For the time being, only disciplinary proceedings are ongoing against the magistrate couple whose son benefited from the fraud. (me)
