Prince Laurent will appeal his civil list payment

Prince Laurent will appeal his civil list payment

Prince Laurent, brother of the king, is to bring a legal appeal to the Council of State after a decision by the government to cut his Civil List payment. The government took the decision to cut the Prince’s payment – which he receives annually in return for certain official duties – after he attended a ceremony at the Chinese embassy in military uniform without prior permission.

The prince is restricted from making public appearances which may seem to be in an official capacity without receiving the government’s permission. The measure was imposed with the approval of the king after Laurent in the past made certain dubious connections with other country’s leaders without the knowledge or permission of the official diplomatic service.

Among others, Laurent was closely linked to Libya, and now claims €48 million is owed to him by the Libyan government in connection with a charity he was running at the time of the fall of the state. His appeal also claims the government did nothing to help him recuperate the funds from the Libyan government,

The Council of State is the body which scrutinises any decision of any level of government. The cut in payment in July amounted to €46,000, or 15% of his total annual allowance, and was supported by 93 members of parliament to 23 against. His lawyer in the appeal argues this was “a breach of his fundamental rights”. Since the decision earlier in the year, the law has been changed to severely limit the amounts paid by the state to members of the royal family, and the number of recipients.

Alan Hope
The Brussels Times


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