On Friday, authorities retrieved the body of Jiri De Laet from the Scheldt River in Antwerp, five days after he drove his car into the water.
De Laet, aged 49, was once affiliated with the Open VLD party and had held various roles at both the Antwerp city and Flemish regional levels. He briefly served as an aide to Willem-Frederik Schiltz in the Flemish Parliament.
Following his departure, De Laet worked as chief of staff for liberal Antwerp alderwoman Erica Caluwaerts, a position he left after just one month. His final political role was as a parliamentary assistant, appointed by former Open VLD politician Sihame El Kaouakibi amid a fraud investigation.
Due to his association with El Kaouakibi, De Laet was expelled from the party by then Open VLD chairman Egbert Lachaert.
De Laet drove into the Scheldt near Het Steen on Sunday evening. Adverse weather conditions delayed the recovery of both his vehicle and his body until now.
