Antwerp The number of criminal cases that by the Antwerp court of appeal is to be treated, swings the pan out. To clear the backlog, three judges cleared to drugszaken to rate. The extra drugskamer is from september.
The Antwerp court of appeal took last week on the news with a remarkable ruling in the case of the Antwerp-Moroccan drug-Rachid Bouazza, and Abendi Whim. The leaders of the gang, that empire had become with cocaïnesmokkel from the Dominican Republic, had in the drugskamer prison sentences of ten, fifteen and even twenty years in prison to the ears. Thus did the professional judges, a large spoonful on top of the penalty made at first instance was pronounced.
In this way, each week four sessions on drugs are held. I have a good hope that we after a while again to the pace of two years ago to work
Rob Hobin
Possible fall off in Antwerp soon more penalty drugsarresten to write it down. Brand new first chairman Rob Hobin, who on Tuesday at the king’s oath, after all, three professional judges are free to drugszaken to rate. That’s what he said Thursday afternoon during the presentation of his plan.
“By manpower in the past two criminal divisions have to close, so the backlog has increased considerably,” explains Hobin. “Even before my appointment as the first chairman I worked at the attorney-general figures obtained about the criminal cases. It turns out that we have until 2016 to about 850 cases in treatment. Last year there were a 1.150. A sharp increase of so. In 40 percent of cases drugsdossiers. There is the Antwerp cocaïnedossiers, but also striking a lot of Hilly property (the court of appeal is also competent for the jurisdiction in Limburg, eds.) about drugslabo and cannabis plantations.”
labor shortage
The additional professional judges will be from september 2019, are in a second ‘drugskamer’. “In this way, each week four sessions on drugs are held. I have a good hope that we after a while again to the pace of two years ago.”
The lack of personnel on the court of appeal is still very dire. The creation of the additional drugskamer has implications for staff elsewhere. Hobin: “The Potpourri-law of minister Koen Geens makes it possible to civil matters (such as bouwovertredingen, divorces, disputes over severance payments…) by a single judge instead of three judges, to be treated. So I can get people free.”
ambition is missing the Rob Hobin not, as was Thursday afternoon clearly. The new president also announced that he Limburg family, where minors are involved, otherwise it wants to organize. “From september, we will begin with a pilot project to family matters in the profession not in Antwerp, but in the province of Limburg to continue. In such cases, children should sometimes themselves come as witnesses. It is far from ideal as they are for the testimony of two hours with one of the parents in the car to Antwerp have to sit down.”
