Carolorégienne affair

Between 2005 and 2007, many court cases implicated personalities of the municipal government in the city of Charleroi in Belgium. In October 2006, mayor Jacques Van Gompel of the PS was jailed on fraud and forgery charges.[23] Léon Casaert, also of the PS, became the new mayor, elected by PS, MR and cdH majorities. The MR resigned from the coalition just before the 2007 general election, citing official charges of corruption leveled against a PS alderman in Charleroi.[24]

The impact and impact are significant at local, regional and even national level. Elio Di Rupo, president of the Socialist Party even attributed the defeat of his party in the 2007 Belgian federal election to the scandal. After the 2007 general election, the PS placed the Charleroi local party section under full supervision of Paul Magnette, with the city executive resigning.[25] Mayor Casaert was charged with fraud on 18 June 2007, but would only step down after a new city executive had been formed.[26]

In April 2010, the director of technical services of Charleroi, Henri Stassens, was convicted in court of fraud and corruption.[27]

On 16 August 2007, 33 people were charged in different cases by the investigating judge of Charleroi.

On 29 June 2012, the following convictions were pronounced. The affair ended in March 2016 with acquittals or mere convictions of those involved.