Searches were carried out, on Tuesday, at the home of the property developers Christian and Alain Binet (father and son), as well as with a third person. These were part of the investigation into the death threats regarding the Liberal Alderwoman for Awans, Catherine Streel. Alain Binet, in dispute with the latter for months, is believed to have instructed an individual to kill her.
Confirming information released by the Sudpresse publications, Catherine Collignon, First Substitute for the Liège Public Prosecutor, indicated on Tuesday that both Binets (father and son) had been held.
To the knowledge of the Grâce-Hollogne/Awans police zone, these searches follow death threats going back to November 17th. It seems a man, both known to the courts and close to Alain Binet, was looking for Catherine Streel at the request of the property developer.
She had been in a dispute with Alain Binet for months, as part of a planning matter, which fell within her remit. It would seem that there was a threat to the alderwoman’s physical safety.
Catherine Collignon stated, “Mr Alain Binet is thought to have made threats to kill Ms Streel with respect to a planning permission which was to be issued. Searches were conducted at the homes of the father, the son and the assumed hitman, who may have been instructed to kill Ms Streel.”
Catherine Collignon added that the father, Christian Binet, was released after his hearing. The son and the assumed hitman were still in their hearing on Tuesday, during the evening.
However, the Liège Public Prosecutor’s Office explained that the searches conducted yesterday were in respect of different cases. Indeed, the searches at the homes of Christian and Alain Binet, and the assumed hitman, are linked to the death-threats case.
However the searches conducted at the company Belgium Master Builders, the Belgian subsidiary of BMB group and located on the site of the Roua Shopping Centre in Awans, were organised by the Ecofin section (which covers economic and financial matters) of the Liège Public Prosecutor’s Office. Catherine Collignon stated that she did not know the grounds for conducting these latter searches.
The Brussels Times
