A 26-year-old man from Beringen, Limburg Province, was sentenced on Tuesday by the Hasselt Criminal Court to ten months in prison and an €800 fine for falsifying a medical certificate and using it.
The offence took place on 11 January 2024. The man forged the stamp and signature of a pulmonologist on a certificate to extend his work incapacity. He then submitted the counterfeit document to the Mutualité Chrétienne mutual society.
In its ruling, the court stated that his acts reflected “a lack of respect for norms” and that falsifying medical documents undermined trust in society.
The man had prior convictions for forgery and the use of falsified documents. In April 2024, he was sentenced in Antwerp to one year in prison for attempting to obtain medication with a fake prescription.
