A lawyer who survived the terrorist attack in Brussels on 22 March 2016 is taking the Belgian government to court for its mishandling of the aftermath of the incident and its treatment of the victims.
The man, Nic Reynaert, is said to have investigated the government’s handling of the attack in recent years and found it had given victims misleading information and had left them to their fate, according to reports from Het Laatste Nieuws.
"This was done by not reacting adequately on the day of the attack, but also by withholding crucial medical info and by making the procedures for compensation unnecessarily complicated," he said.
Reynaert started his investigation about a year ago when he collected documents, spoke with victims and witnesses, and found negligence in the medical care of the survivors.
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"That already started on the day of the attack itself. After barely 45 minutes, I found myself on the doorstep of the hospital without any information or advice. From then on, I had to figure it out myself," he recalled.
Based on this information, Reynaert wrote a 55-page writ of summons, which he delivered to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and the Federal Parliament this week.
He is also planning to deliver it to STIB, the company operating the Brussels metro system, and to the headquarters of the insurance company Ethias.
The case will start with a preliminary hearing on 22 March.
Reynaert, who boarded the metro which was targeted during the attacks at the Arts Loi stop in Brussels, became deafened by the strength of the explosion.
Lauren Walker
The Brussels Times
