"Double the prosecution rate in Brussels"
The new public prosecutor in Brussels, Jean-Marc Meilleur, wants that more cases actually lead to legal prosecution. Last week, the judicial area Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde was split in two, with Halle-Vilvoorde and Brussels each receiving their own judicial area. This should give Brussels more scope to actually tackle cases and take more people to court, to stop the feeling of impunity.
BELGA/MAETERLINCK
The split of the judicial area means that Brussels has its own judicial authorities from now on. "Relatively seen, we have more magistrates now to deal with cases. And there are more to come in the future. This gives us more possibilities where actual prosecutions are concerned. I hope to double the prosecution rate. The aim is to achieve this within the next five years", Jean-Marc Meilleur told the VRT.
Asked whether this is not too ambitious, he said: "We are talking about the balance between the reports we receive i.e. the number of files coming in and the number of cases that are actually being dealt with." Prosecution can also end up in an amicable settlement or mediation etc.