Former Belgacom boss demands €5 million pay-off

Didier Bellens, the former CEO of state-controlled telecoms company Belgacom who was removed from his post last autumn, has demanded €5 million in damages for what his lawyer described as “a politically motivated dismissal”.

According to Bellens’ own calculation, his contract still had one year left to run when he was dismissed – equivalent to a salary of €2.5 million. To that is added interest and damages, bringing the total to almost €5 million.

If the government refuses to honour the request, his next step will be to bring a case to the employment tribunal. “We have a strong case,” lawyer John Bigwood told De Standaard. “This was a politically motivated, unjustified dismissal, and we can prove it.”

Bellens (pictured) was sacked after a series of negative comments about the federal government and prime minister Elio Di Rupo. The government claimed there had been “a serious breach of confidence” but also “an accumulation of serious errors”. Bellens was replaced by Dominique Leroy, who had been Belgacom’s consumer business unit’s executive vice president.

According to Bigwood, Bellens has proposed an amicable settlement, but the board of Belgacom has yet to respond. He noted that the board is scheduled to meet today. “I expect an answer to our proposal by the end of this week. If there’s to be no settlement, then we go to court.”

The federal minister for government enterprises, Jean-Pascal Labille, responded by saying that, while it is Bellens’ “right to contest the decision that was taken by the government,” their position is that he has no right to damages.

photo by Julien Warnand/epa/Corbis