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🇧🇪 Belgium /Crime & Justice

Mechelen faces complaint over refusal to refund illegal speeding ticket fees

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A political movement in Mechelen, Belgium, has filed a complaint with the provincial governor over the city's refusal to refund an illegal administrative fee charged on speeding tickets.
  • The 6 euro fee, added to speeding fines, was deemed unlawful and abolished earlier this year, but the city is not returning the collected money.
  • The movement argues that forcing individual citizens to go to court for such a small amount is unreasonable and that the city should rectify its mistake.

The city of Mechelen faces a formal complaint for refusing to reimburse citizens for an illegal administrative fee levied on speeding tickets. The political movement Fix De Vesten has escalated the issue to the provincial governor of Antwerp, urging an investigation into the city's stance.

A citizen now actually has to go to court to get their way. For an amount of 6 euros, that is too big a step for many people, while it is a large amount for the city.

— Arnaud CoelArnaud Coel, from the political movement Fix De Vesten, explains the difficulty for individuals to reclaim the unlawfully charged administrative fees.

For years, drivers caught speeding in Mechelen were charged an additional 6 euro administrative fee on top of the 53 euro fine. This fee was justified by the city as covering the costs of processing the ticket, arguing that offenders, not taxpayers, should bear this expense. However, this practice was outlawed earlier this year by Flemish Minister of the Interior Hilde Crevits, leading to its abolition in Mechelen and other municipalities.

While some municipalities, like Oudsbergen, have opted to refund these unlawfully collected fees, Mechelen has decided against it. Arnaud Coel, the initiator of Fix De Vesten, criticizes this decision, highlighting the difficulty for individual citizens to pursue legal action for a mere 6 euros. "A citizen now actually has to go to court to get their way. For an amount of 6 euros, that is too big a step for many people," Coel stated. He argues that the city should proactively correct its error rather than waiting for each individual to file a complaint.

The correct thing would be for the city to correct the mistake itself. You cannot wait for every individual citizen to file a complaint.

— Arnaud CoelArnaud Coel criticizes the city of Mechelen's approach to refunding illegal administrative fees.

Governor Cathy Berx has confirmed that the case is under review, with a decision expected within a month. The city of Mechelen has previously indicated that the abolition of the fee was a forward-looking measure and that past collections would not be reimbursed. Coel hopes the governor's intervention will lead to a clear stance and a just resolution.

I ask the governor to look into the matter and take a clear stance.

— Arnaud CoelArnaud Coel expresses his hope for the provincial governor's intervention in the dispute over unrefunded fees.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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