Sint-Martens-Latem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A drainage firm from Sint-Martens-Latem threatens to refill the cesspool at the Ghent Court of Appeal after waiting 6 months for payment on completed work.
Justice claims that the reason the payment takes longer is because it was an urgent intervention that did not fall under the traditional operational costs. The FPS Justice stated that “the problem will be solved as soon as possible.”
Around 50,000 liters, or enough for three full tankers, were removed from the cesspool by the company in early December. According to Tom Brugge, manager of the unblocking service IG from Sint-Martens-Latem,
“It’s an invoice of thousands of euros.”
“But to this day we have not received an order number to draw up an invoice,” says Tom Brugge. “Of course it could be a misunderstanding, but I have already sent several emails. And I never got an answer back.”
“We are angry. There is simply no communication and that bothers me the most,”
Says Brugge.
To summarize it briefly: their shit is cleaned up, but ours remains.
“I’ve already thought about spraying the front of the courthouse in a new color or refilling the cesspool,”
Says Brugge playfully.
“I don’t have the contents of that cesspool anymore, but I have enough supply from others.”
Bruges has already been in contact with an FPS Justice employee. The FPS Justice responds that it would “solve the problem as soon as possible” when Justice affirms that the company has not yet received payment.
“Unfortunately, at the end of 2024 we had a shortage of operating resources, which meant that we were unable to pay for this urgent order from the unblocking company through normal channels,”
Said Edward Landtsheere, spokesperson at the Federal Public Service Justice.
“Because it was an emergency intervention, we followed an exceptional procedure. The invoice is now being processed via the ‘arrears’ scheme, which means that the file must first pass the Inspectorate of Finance and the Council of Ministers. Only then can we proceed with payment.”
“We realize that this is particularly difficult for the company involved,”
Says Landtsheere. That is why we want to express our appreciation for all our suppliers who, despite difficult circumstances, continue to work for Justice.
This is not the first time that outside parties had to wait for Justice to pay them for their services. For instance, last year, a number of interpreters demonstrated in the Ghent courthouse, Belgium, over months of unpaid wages.
The Ghent Court of Appeal joined the efforts last week to address the court system’s lack of resources.
What legal actions might the drainage company pursue over unpaid fees?
In order to reach a quick settlement without going to court, the business can first write strongly worded letters requesting payment.
The business may bring a civil case against the Ghent Court of Appeal for breach of contract and unpaid costs if informal attempts are unsuccessful. This entails filing a complaint, backed up by contracts or invoices, that describes the services rendered and the sum owing.
In order to obtain payment, the business may put a lien on the property, depending on local regulations. Until the debt is settled, this legal claim may stop the property from being sold or refinanced.
The business may seek recovery for the costs of the court proceedings and the attorneys’ fees incurred in collecting the debt, as well as impose interest on past-due payments at the highest legal rate.
