Flemish Minister of Justice, Enforcement and Tourism Zuhal Demir is putting on hold €1.4 million in subsidies for the KU Leuven university and has demanded clarity from the university's rector over a rape case in which a professor was convicted.
Last week, a KU Leuven professor was sentenced to 54 weeks in prison for the rape of a student in Barcelona in the summer of 2016. In recent days, reports emerged that the university was immediately informed of the crime but did not intervene. The professor was able to remain a further four months after an official complaint was lodged in 2018. He continued to publish research on behalf of KU Leuven and even received an award.
"People who were aware of this crime but failed to act do not belong in academia," Demir stated in a press release. "We have to be tough on an institution that does not immediately condemn rape. As the largest university in the country, you cannot be first in line to receive Flemish subsidies but hide from taking up your social responsibility."
This weekend, Demir demanded an explanation from KU Leuven rector Luc Sels, requesting to know exactly what he and the university knew about the case and when. Demir stressed that it cannot be permitted for the university to have been aware for a long time but to have remained silent.
On the side of the victims
Demir is therefore suspending the planned Flemish support for the university until the rector clarifies the order of events. The subsidies amount to at least €1.4 million. They would be disbursed by Tourism Flanders and intended for construction works for the celebration of 600 years of KU Leuven. The subsidies had not yet been formally approved by the Flemish government.
On Flemish radio on Monday morning, she rejected the view that it is a dangerous precedent for a minister to put subsidies on hold on grounds that have nothing to do with the application. The minister insisted that her approach is "on the side of the victims."
"This is about a serious crime for which the man was convicted. I want to know what happened. In 2016, [the university] received a report. In 2018, there was an official complaint and now we are in 2022."
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Now, Demir wants clarity before she makes a decision on how to proceed. "After the complaint in 2018, not only did the professor stay on but the rector also gave him another award. It's unconscionable. That award is a slap in the face of all the victims."
In the meantime, KU Leuven has issued a press release which states that the case has been "affecting the Faculty of Psychology and Pedagogy for several years. It affects the whole university. Everyone sympathises with the victim and her friends and family."
While the statement did not directly address Demir's decision, it referred to last Thursday's court ruling. "Now that the court has ruled in the case in which a KU Leuven professor stood trial for the rape of a student, KU Leuven is proceeding with disciplinary proceedings against that professor."
Disciplinary proceedings could lead to dismissal; the professor had already been denied access to KU Leuven premises since September 2018. Contact with students was also prohibited.
