After being postponed several times, the trial against former Flemish Parliament member Christian Van Eyken and his wife, Sylvia B., has started on Monday.
The couple is suspected of the murder of Marc Dellea, Sylvia B.'s then-husband, who was found in his apartment with a bullet in his head in July 2014. Van Eyken and his wife both deny that they have something to do with the case.
The man was tangled in a divorce proceeding with his wife Sylvia B., who at that point was a co-worker of then-member of the Flemish Parliament Christian Van Eyken. The investigation revealed that the woman had a relationship with Van Eyken, and in October 2015, she was arrested on suspicion of the murder of her husband.
The investigators discovered camera footage that shows how Van Eyken and Sylvia B. enter the victim's apartment on the night of the murder, which is why not only B. but also Van Eyken is under suspicion.
After Van Eyken's parliamentary immunity was lifted in 2016, he was arrested on suspicion of murder. However, since the arrest warrant was not signed by the investigating judge, Van Eyken was able to await his trial outside of prison.
Originally, the trial was supposed to start in 2017, but was postponed because of technical issues. In 2018, the trial was postponed again because the couple was suspected of sabotaging evidence.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
