Brussels, (Brussels Morning)- Three police officers involved in a deadly chase in Brussels have to answer to court. After years of procedural battle, the three were referred to the police court by the Chamber of Indictment. The family is relieved, says BRUZZ.
The investigation into the accident dragged on for four years. In the summer of last year, the public prosecutor’s office had filed a claim for non-prosecution in the courtroom, but the courtroom did not respond to this and decided to return the file to the public prosecutor’s office.
According to the council chamber, the chase was disproportionate and the police should not have put lives at risk for a traffic violation that can be fined. The public prosecutor’s office appealed against the decision of the council chamber, after which the case came before the Brussels Chamber of Indictment (KI).
The AI then took the case to itself and itself proceeded to place three police officers under suspicion. It is about the police officers who had started the chase and about the policeman who is said to have put the dog brigade vehicle across the road.
The case came back to the AI last month, where there were arguments about the possible referral of the three police officers. The public prosecutor’s office asked to declare a non-prosecution in the file, but the AI did not respond. On Wednesday, he decided to refer the three police officers involved to the police court, which will decide whether they are guilty of the deaths of the two twenty-somethings.
‘Relieved’
“The family is relieved that those police officers will have to answer to a public trial,” said master Joke Callewaert, who represents them.
The fatal accident happened on Tuesday evening 9 May 2017. Sabrina El Bakkali (20) and Ouassim Toumi (24) were riding a motorcycle through Avenue Louise. A local police patrol gave chase because Toumi was allegedly reckless driving.
A dog brigade car, which was driving a little further, slowed to block traffic. Shortly after the exit of the tunnel, the motorcyclist drove into the dog brigade vehicle, which is said to have stood across the road. Ouassim died on the spot, his girlfriend was taken to hospital, where she died during the night.
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