{
    "title": "Flemish councils charged unlawful fees on traffic fines, investigation finds",
    "modified_at": "2026-06-29 10:48:27",
    "published_at": "2026-06-29 10:41:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/flemish-councils-charged-unlawful-fees-on-traffic-fines-investigation-finds",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/iSJd",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "flemish-councils-charged-unlawful-fees-on-traffic-fines-investigation-finds",
    "body": "<p><strong>Dozens of Flemish cities and municipalities wrongly charged extra fees on local traffic fines over the past few years, collecting at least 12 million euros without a legal basis, according to an investigation by Het Laatste Nieuws.</strong></p><p>The newspaper found that 32 of 55 local authorities surveyed admitted adding extra charges to traffic fines. The unlawful fees affected an estimated 911,000 fines, although the true figure across Flanders is likely to be higher.</p><p>Some councils added administrative charges of 6-11 euros to every fine, while others imposed reminder or case management fees on drivers who paid late. Antwerp alone collected almost 4.7 million euros through these additional charges.</p><p>Several court rulings have found that such fees are unlawful before debt collection proceedings begin. Flemish Interior minister Hilde Crevits said local authorities should not have charged the extra costs and expressed disappointment that some ignored official guidance issued in 2024.</p><p>The Limburg municipality of Oudsbergen has already started refunding affected motorists, but most councils have not announced repayment plans. Legal experts told Het Laatste Nieuws that drivers who paid the unlawful charges should be reimbursed, although the Flemish government cannot force local authorities to do so.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><sup>\u200b#FlandersNewsService | &copy; BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK</sup></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-dd7a43b5-047d-4f9c-a5ce-cee69d3a5684\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"http://prez.ly/eIDd\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2Fc8edcc2f-f876-4371-881a-70038cb947f9%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=2cf80a7aaf5f9cb8091445bd6a96c901)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"http://prez.ly/eIDd\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"dd7a43b5-047d-4f9c-a5ce-cee69d3a5684\"\n           >\n                Flanders commemorates fatal accident that led to start of alcohol testing            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                On 25 April 1966, in Walfergem, a small village to the east of Brussels, a drunk driver drove into a group of school children, killing ten of...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fflanders-commemorates-fatal-accident-that-led-to-start-of-alcohol-testing&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<div id=\"bookmark-abe7c194-8156-486e-8e79-fbbeda02d9dc\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"http://prez.ly/we5d\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F85693229-188c-424f-afe7-7ad94b42d137%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=8443e0dc1079c4ee4b067b91b959e6f4)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"http://prez.ly/we5d\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"abe7c194-8156-486e-8e79-fbbeda02d9dc\"\n           >\n                Traffic congestion in Flanders broke records in 2025            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                Several traffic jam records were broken on Flemish roads last year, according to figures published on Tuesday by the Flemish Traffic Centre...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Ftraffic-congestion-in-flanders-broke-records-in-2025&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n",
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    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
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