An investigation into allegations against the 4th Engineering Battalion based at Amay, Liège Province, has been closed, the office of the public prosecutor announced on Tuesday.
The inquiry, conducted by the federal police and led by the royal prosecutor of Liège, identified problematic behaviour within the battalion during a team-building exercise, the prosecutor’s office reported. Despite extensive investigation and numerous interviews, no evidence was found of sexual assault or inhumane and degrading treatment. The case has now been closed and passed on to the defence department for possible disciplinary action against the implicated soldiers.
Further investigations involving the same battalion are ongoing within the Liège prosecutor’s office, but no further details have been released.
Several soldiers from the battalion were suspended from duty in March due to serious structural issues, according to senior defence ministry officials. Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder referred at the time to “unacceptable” and “deviant” behaviour. She later announced the dissolution of a platoon.
Ms Dedonder revealed last November that she had been informed through external channels, specifically an email sent by a relative of one of the soldiers, of structural problems within this unit of the Amay-based battalion.
