Chamber committee validates solution for Brussels prosecutor

The linguistic role of the Brussels prosecutor was part of the political agreement on the division of the judicial district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde. Since then, the Brussels public prosecutor and the labor prosecutor must have a French-speaking diploma, although they must be able to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of Dutch. The reverse applies to their deputies.

In 2014, the Constitutional Court annulled the scheme. The fact that the Brussels public prosecutor is required to speak French was not sufficiently justified. After it emerged in October that the Brussels public prosecutor’s office had failed to handle the case of the perpetrator of the attack on Swedish football supporters in Brussels, the federal government agreed on a solution.

Functional knowledge

In concrete terms, both Dutch and French speakers will from now on be eligible as public prosecutors or labor prosecutors in Brussels. A “functional knowledge” of the other language is sufficient. There will be a language alternative for both roles: after a French-speaking one, there must be a Dutch-speaking one, and vice versa.

Of the two deputies of the public prosecutor and that of the labor prosecutor, one must be French-speaking, the other must belong to the language role other than the prosecutor or the labor prosecutor. They must also have a functional command of the other language. The next public prosecutor will be French-speaking, the labor prosecutor will be Dutch-speaking.

More stability

Minister of Justice Paul Van Tigchelt (Open VLD) incorporated the scheme into a bill, which was given the green light in the Parliamentary Justice Committee on Wednesday. The minister responds satisfied. “Also, due to the increasing drug violence in Brussels in recent weeks and months, resulting in several shootings and fatalities, the need for a fully-fledged public prosecutor and more stability for the Brussels public prosecutor’s office is urgent.”

“Drug violence requires a thorough approach by the public prosecutor’s office and a good criminal policy, and therefore a legally valid instruction from the public prosecutor to ensure this,” the minister concludes.