A €1,250 fine with a potential partial suspension has been requested by the Namur Public Prosecutor’s Office against Olivier Pitance, sole kayak-rental operator on the Lesse, for four environmental infractions committed in 2023.
Fines of €5,000 have also been requested for each of his two companies, Dinant Tourism and Dinant Adventure, which are also being prosecuted.
The first infraction pertains to exceeding the maximum number of daily kayak launches imposed by his operation permits on five days in 2023: 10 and 17 June, 18 and 22 July, and 18 August. Pitance has admitted to operating more kayaks than allowed on these dates.
The second violation involves not adhering to the authorised embarcation times at Gendron. Kayaks were launched after the permitted hours on 10 June and 22 July 2023.
Pitance and his companies are also charged with failing to install a reliable counting system to monitor the number of daily kayak launches.
Additionally, he is accused of not installing toilets at Chaleux as required by his permit. This was noted on 10 June 2023.
The Walloon Region is the civil party in this case. It is seeking financial compensation for ecological, material, and moral damage.
Defence lawyer Me Pâques highlighted that in May 2023, Environment Minister Céline Tellier (Ecolo) ordered his client to reduce the maximum daily kayak launches from 1,969 to 1,169. An appeal against this decision was lodged with the Council of State in November 2023.
The lawyer asked the court to suspend its decision pending the Council of State’s ruling on the appeal, expected in November 2025.
Alternatively, he asked the Namur Criminal Court to disregard the 2023 decision by the minister. “If that is the case, the older permits from 2004 would apply, and there would be no infractions,” he argued.
Judgment will be rendered on 18 April.
