A local politician from Molenbeek-Saint-Jean whose criminal record recently lost him a seat in local government post has filed a complaint against the person who leaked the revelatory information.
Yassine Akki (PS) was elected during local elections in Molenbeek on 13 October 2024, but a leak of his criminal record that revealed a rape conviction provoked a scandal and caused him to renounce his position on the council.
An unidentified individual emailed a copy of Akki's criminal record to Belgian press outlets ahead of the elections. The record reveals a conviction for the rape of a minor over 16 in 1999, when the politician was 19 years old.
Akki says he accepted this ruling and served his time but has filed a complaint against the individual who leaked the information.
"My ability to become a councillor provoked a great deal of jealousy on the part of a number of people," he told RTBF in an interview published on Friday. "I think that the investigation will determine who had an interest in leaking this notorious document just before the elections."
'Most people knew my story'
Akki's lawyer maintains that leaking personal data in this way constitutes "a breach of professional secrecy", and in extreme cases, amounts to corruption.
The 48-year-old socialist said he suffered verbal abuse including racial slurs in the wake of the scandal. His family were also targeted but he emphasises that he still has support in his commune.
"The people around me already knew about my private life and my past. Most people in Molenbeek knew my story. It was these people who supported me and elected me."
The leak also revealed two other convictions: a three-year suspended sentence for theft in 1998 and an eight-month suspended sentence for an appealed theft conviction in 2001.
