In the investigation into fraud in Belgian football, which has been dragging on since the outbreak of the major football scandal, ten top people no longer have to fear a trial.
Among them Bart Verhaeghe, Vincent Mannaert, Patrick Janssens and Michel Louwagie.
They all signed an amicable settlement proposed by the federal prosecutor’s office. This means that they buy off any lawsuit: they will not be prosecuted if they admit their liability and pay a fine.
Important figures from football seem to be buying off mistakes from the past, but AA Gent chairman Ivan De Witte sees it differently.
“It’s good to say that an out-of-court settlement is not an admission of guilt.”
According to De Witte, Michel Louwagie wants to settle the media storm around himself and the club with a settlement.
“We discussed Michel’s decision to reach an amicable settlement at the board of directors. We thought a settlement was the best option.”
AA Gent chairman Ivan De Witte did not want to go into too much detail about the exact facts of which Michel Louwagie is suspected.
“It concerns three things, but as a club we have come to the conclusion that they do not stand in the way of Michel Louwagie’s functioning. On the contrary, even.”
However, according to our information, it concerns, among other things, false scouting reports in money laundering constructions.
“In any case, these are matters that were eligible for an amicable settlement”, Ivan De Witte defends his manager.
“In the case of Michel Louwagie, there is also no question of personal enrichment at any time.”
The chairman of AA Gent leaves open the amount of the fine that Michel Louwagie has to pay. He insists on stating that Louwagie paid for his amicable settlement himself.
“If the club paid that, there would only be mixing of facts.”
This closes the chapter for the chairman of AA Gent.
