The suspension of two public prosecutors in West Flanders, for fraud linked to an entry exam to the judiciary, has been confirmed by a disciplinary board.
The divisional public prosecutors of Bruges and Ypres had appealed against their suspensions, but their appeals were rejected, it was announced on Tuesday.
On 3 March, the High Council for the Judiciary (CSJ) reported suspicions of fraud in an examination for admission to the judiciary. N.S., a participant in the test, was allegedly tipped off about the criminal law exam by C.B., a member of the CSJ and of the Ghent public prosecutor's office.
The candidate in question is also the son of two other magistrates: Y.S., a divisional public prosecutor in Bruges, and E.W., a judge at the Court of First Instance of West Flanders, Yprès division.
Following the CSJ announcement, Public Prosecutor Filiep Jodts initiated disciplinary proceedings on 7 March. He decided to suspend the two divisional public prosecutors for three months.
The suspension concerned not only Y.S. but also J.L., the divisional public prosecutor for Yprès, whose daughter, L.L., also took the tests.
The suspensions were extended for a second period of three months on 16 and 17 September. Both magistrates appealed against this decision. However, the disciplinary board found that the suspensions were justified in the interests of the service.
‘The interest of the service lies in the fact that the public must be able to have confidence in the impartiality of the public prosecutor," the board noted. "Citizens must have the assurance that cases will be handled without any form of favouritism."
The presence of the parties concerned at this stage of the disciplinary procedure could undermine this principle, it added.
