Johan Van Overtveldt, Member of the European Parliament for N-VA and former Finance Minister, has criticised the proposed appointment of Axel Miller as chairman of SFPIM, the federal government’s investment company.
The proposal was made by George-Louis Bouchez, leader of the MR party, who wants his former chief of staff, Axel Miller, to head SFPIM, an institution managing assets totalling €11 billion and overseeing the partial privatisation of Belfius.
Miller previously led Dexia, Belfius’s predecessor, during the 2008 financial crisis. “He was partly responsible for the massive debacle at Dexia—and that’s putting it mildly,” Van Overtveldt stated. “The billions lost are still, in part, being paid for by Belgian taxpayers. He has also not performed particularly well in other corporate ventures, and again, I’m understating it. I regret this choice.”
