Minister of Justice Verlinden must return to EVP congress in Valencia in all times
© Belga/Belpress
Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) will then be able to answer questions in the Chamber. After protest from the opposition about her absence and new actions of the magistrates, she lies in a hurry from the EVP congress in Valencia.
The opposition was not tender. « An absence bears witness to little respect for parliament, especially now that there is an open war with justice, » said Stefaan van Hecke, party leader for Groen The standard. « This looks like a flight, » said Open VLD party leader Alexia Bertrand (MR).
The magistrature brings up a full tricks box at the top of dissatisfaction with the pension reforms of the federal government – withdrawing from penitentiary engagement and worsening the overcrowding in prisons to only focus on « corruption at the government » – and the Minister of Justice is not available in the Chamber to answer questions. Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) was in Valencia, at the Congress of the European People’s Party (EVP), the European Group of Christian Democrats.
Sat, because Chamber President Peter de Roover (N-VA) was forced to send a letter to the government to make it clear that party-political events are not well-founded reason to be absent in the question time. And in perception it is deadly, a minister of justice who escapes the debate on such an important topic. So Verlinden returned to Brussels in Zeven Hasten to answer questions with Minister of Pension Jan Jambon (N-VA).
In the Verlinden cabinet, they emphasize that the letter from the Chamber President is not addressed to her personally and that she returned entirely on her own initiative from Valencia. « That decision was already made yesterday and this as a result of the announcement of new promotions, » it sounds. « Yesterday, Minister Verlinden also had several contacts from Valencia with the judiciary and her colleagues in the government. »
The suggestion that Verlinden would have wanted to avoid the debate is « outrageous ». « We don’t need anyone, neither letters nor emails, to know where to be to meet our political obligations and responsibilities. »
Her party colleague and colleague from Budget Vincent van Peteghem (CD&V) will remain in Valencia. He is the delegation leader of CD&V at the congress. (AGY)
Addition: On April 30, this piece was supplemented with a response from Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V). The letter from the Chamber President was not only addressed to her but to the entire government.
