Trial against mafia boss halted due to bedbugs
The trial against Albanian drug criminal Franc Gergely in the Justitia building in Evere was halted for 24 hours due to the presence of bedbugs in the courtroom on Monday.
One of the jurors during the trial saw a bedbug crawling on his arm, so after the lunch break, the presiding judge decided to adjourn the session “so that measures could be taken”.
“This is going too far,” said presiding judge Isabelle de Saedeleer, referring to the many problems facing the justice system. “I don't want to put anyone in danger, not the jurors, not the lawyers, not the defendants, no one,” she added, justifying the adjournment until Tuesday afternoon. The court advised all those involved to wash their clothes at 60 degrees or put them in the freezer.
The trial of Gergely and eight other defendants began on 5 January at the former NATO headquarters. They are on trial for the murder of Ardit Spahiu on 27 November 2020 in Molenbeek. Both mafia clans are mentioned in investigations into large-scale cocaine trafficking. Investigators were able to identify the suspects after hacking into the encrypted messaging service Sky ECC.
On Monday morning, the two federal prosecutors finished reading the indictment. The trial is expected to last three weeks. The presiding judge has already indicated that there is no room in the Justice Palace at Place Poelaert in Brussels to continue the proceedings.
It is unclear what measures the Justice department will now take. Combatting bedbugs is a labour-intensive process.
Presiding judge Isabelle De Saedeleer at the trial of Franc Gergely © BELGA PHOTO
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