Royal pardons criticised in parliament

King Philippe has apologised to the families of road traffic victims after it was revealed that he had granted a royal pardon to several offenders convicted of traffic violations, leading to reduced fines. The TV programme Royalty reported last week that the king had used his royal power to pardon 11 offenders, most of them guilty of driving offences.

The king was criticised by several road safety organisations, including the Belgian Institute for Road Safety (BIVV) and Parents of Children Killed in Road Accidents. Karin Genoe of BIVV said that the royal pardons “undermined the work we have done to improve road safety”. Belgian transport minister Hilde Crevits told Radio 1 that she felt sympathy with road accident victims and wanted more clarity on the decision that was made. 

Although none of the offenders pardoned by the king caused accidents that resulted in injury, the revelation has sparked debate in the federal parliament on the abolition of royal pardons. N-VA and Open VLD consider it an anachronism. Theo Francken of N-VA called it “a custom dating from the middle ages or the Roman Empire when the emperor could decide a person’s fate by raising or lowering his thumb”.

The decision to turn applications for pardon over to the king, however, is made by the federal justice department and has mainly been granted to prisoners suffering from serious illnesses to help reduce the prison population. Justice minister Annemie Turtelboom announced that no more pardons will be granted before the elections next May.