Dozens of Flemish municipalities have illegally collected at least €12 million with the addition of unlawful administrative fees to minor traffic and parking fines, according to an original investigation conducted by HLN.
Approximately over 911,000 local penalties were artificially inflated in recent years. Out of 55 local municipalities surveyed, 31 (58%) applied these extra costs to unsuspecting drivers.
Authorities applied two distinct types of surcharges. Some cities – like Mechelen and Geel – automatically added between €6 and €11 to every penalty under the guise of an administrative tax. Mechelen alone generated €3.1 million this way. Other municipalities have exclusively targeted late payers.
Mechelen's opposition party, the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V), has called on the mayor of the municipality, Bart Somers (Anders), to temporarily step down due to the ongoing investigation, citing his involvement with the local Rivierland police zone board as its chair. Police officers from the zone are responsible for issuing the overcharges.
Mechelen's mayor has denied any personal involvement with the controversy, stating: "Personnel management is the responsibility of the police chief, and governance lies with the police board, made up of four mayors. There is no basis to single out individuals."
The City of Antwerp slapped a €20 charge on second reminders and then €30 again to prepare bailiff dossiers. This practice brought nearly €4.7 million into the city's coffers. Antwerp and Limburg provinces are most guilty of the practice as 20 of the 31 offending municipalities are located there.
Courts have repeatedly struck down these policies. A Brussels judge condemned Mechelen in 2023, while Antwerp has only faced similar ruling just weeks ago. Flemish Minister of Domestic Administration Hilde Crevits (CD&V) issued a formal warning to all local councils earlier this year.
The minister stressed that municipal administrative sanctions cannot incur supplementary charges during the initial settlement phase.
A lawyer quoted by HLN, Pieter Geens, argued that the current legal framework is simply poorly designed, saying that "Many local authorities were badly advised and did not act out of malice."
However, one of the biggest questions is whether the people who were wrongly issued a fine could be reimbursed for the overcharges.
As an outlier, the municipality of Oudsbergen is currently refunding 7,000 people €10 each following a formal complaint. At the same time, HLN claims that their journalists were told off-the-record that most towns are not ready for such measures.
