The Office of the Parliament of Wallonia decided on Monday to extend the suspension of former parliamentary clerk Frédéric Janssens by another six months, Belga News Agency reports. The disgraced official had been accused of harassing employees and mismanaging the parliament's budget.
A disciplinary hearing had been opened into Janssens last Tuesday, following the accusations of harassment and financial mismanagement that had been made against him since September.
Janssens had been overheard threatening his staff and was caught telling a colleague in a leaked audio recording "you will end up in a morgue by noon." He was also found to have spent €25,000 on roaming charges while on holiday in Costa Rica.
The Office of the Wallonia Parliament not only decided to extend his suspension by a further six months, from 15 March onwards but also reduce Jansenns' income by 20%. The former clerk will also have to hand over any material benefits related to his job, such as his company car.
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The Office stated that it will not be making make "any comments on the content of the files or the course of the proceedings," in accordance with the defendant's rights.
In any case, it is hoped that their decision will help put an end to the alleged "climate of terror" instilled by Janssens during his time in office. The former clerk had been the subject of 13 complaints of workplace harassment received by the Namur labour auditor.
