The brother of the king of Belgium has claimed the government is violating his human rights after the prime minister moved to cut his annual €308,000 (£280,000) government endowment by up to 15% – which would in effect “deprive him and his family of all livelihoods”
The Belgium prime minister called a meeting with Prince Laurent, younger sibling to King Philippe, in response to his unauthorised appearance in full naval uniform at a Chinese state celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Red Army. Laurent sent a sick note to excuse himself from the meeting about the incident, the latest in a series of unapproved events with foreign dignitaries. Laurent’s previous diplomatic freelancing has involved jetting off to see President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who, after 16 years in power, refuses to stand down on the grounds that the country cannot afford elections. He also enjoyed frequent visits to Libya between 2008 and 2010, where he had been hoping to go into business with one of Muammar Gaddafi’s sons. Laurent was given a final warning last December after he went on an unauthorised visit to see the prime minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The prince’s lawyer went on the attack, claiming the government’s attempts to limit his meetings with the representatives of foreign states amounted to a breach of article 8 of the European convention on human rights as it would force him into “social isolation”. The letter adds that the questioning of the prince’s endowment in the media has caused “great uncertainty for the prince and his family, contrary to fundamental rights”, and the state should now offer some “social security or pension rights”. The cut would in effect “deprive him and his family of all livelihoods”
Last year Laurent was forced to repay €16,000 to the Belgian state for claiming expenses for a ski holiday, supermarket bills and the school fees of his three children.
The youngest son of the former king and queen Albert II and Paola has previously taken to Belgian television to attack his family, with whom he is barely on speaking terms, claiming they are like the Stasi secret police and have sought to sabotage his career. “My family has never supported me,” he complained.
No comments:
Post a Comment