Anderlecht commune staff fired over driving licence fraud

The town council of Anderlecht has dismissed four members of the municipal administration for their participation in a driving licence fraud, according to a statement from the Brussels commune.

The four suspects were dismissed for serious misconduct with immediate effect following an investigation which included numerous searches of properties carried out on 28 October. In addition, various statutory agents of the municipality have been suspended pending the examination of their files by the council, the only municipal body empowered to decide in their case.

The commune noted that the dismantling of this fraudulent network required long-term internal work in collaboration with the judicial authorities and the police services. "At the end of 2019, an anonymous source reported to the municipal administration of Anderlecht that a fraud in European and Belgian driving licenses was taking place," the commune said in its statement.

Notified on January 16, 2020, the municipal secretary Marcel Vermeulen and the mayor Fabrice Cumps transmitted the file to the prosecutor as well as to the head of the local police force.

"Rumours had been going on for months that it was possible to obtain a driving licence for €2,000 to €3,000," Brussels MP and former mayor of Anderlecht Gaëtan Vangoitsenhoven told reporters. "Sources had come to report such facts to me, but without material evidence."