The barrister for the Pirotton family, claiming damages in the trial of Bernard Wesphael before Hainaut in the Assize Court in Hainaut, Me Philippe Moureau does not, for a moment, believe in the innocence of the former M.P., accused of his wife's murder. Me Moureau regrets to say that the accused has defended himself as a politician.
He has used all of the tools, both the media and others, normally at the disposal of a working politician.
Today (Tuesday morning) Me Moureau opened his arguments with the words; “We have not come to Mons to condemn an innocent man.”
He went on, “That would be entirely unacceptable for a lawyer and not in the interests of the parties claiming damages.”
He further said, “We have come to get to the truth, not the media's version of the truth or that of Bernard Wesphael, but THE truth.”
The lawyer acknowledged that if he had the least doubt around Bernard Wesphael's innocence, he would sit down and let the Advocate-General make his prosecution case.
He went on, “Mr Wesphael is a politician defending himself as a politician.”
He added, “He is not telling the truth but simply his version of the truth. Of course, he has networks.”
The lawyer pursued, “I am not the person who should have called the President of the Senate, the spin doctors who cultivated his media image and his fraternal network in the middle of the night, but I'll not go into that issue here.”
Me Moureau added that a politician should maintain control of himself, “something which we should have been able to see throughout this hearing,” and be able to eclipse certain things.
As his closing words he said, “It was Charles Pasqua who said when you are up to your neck in a legal case, it becomes necessary to invent a case within a case, and then another case within that case.”
He went on, “This is what Bernard Wesphael has done.” He concluded, “I regret to say that during these three weeks of discussion, we have not seen the man but simply the politician.”
The Brussels Times
