The Hasselt criminal court has sentenced Tony Coonen, the former CEO of the socialist health insurance fund De Voorzorg Limburg, to a four-year suspended prison term, an €8,000 fine, and a 10-year management ban.
Coonen, along with eight other individuals and fourteen companies, was on trial for active and passive bribery, breach of trust and conflict of interest.
The court heard how Coonen abused his top position at De Voorzorg. Buildings and land were allocated to friendly project developers in exchange for money and gifts.
Through this system, Coonen and others are said to have enriched themselves. The defendant admitted that he was negligent in managing certain costs.
"I was negligent in paying for the restaurant, decoration, and transportation costs. I truly want to apologise for this. I never had any bad intentions. If I held meetings at home during the coronavirus period, there was no need to charge the catering costs to a paying organisation," Coonen said in court.
