>[The Guardian] > > Cover-up claims revive sex scandal > > Belgian establishment accused of closing ranks > to block investigation > > By Stephen Bates in Brussels > > Wednesday April 21, 1999 > > Belgium is being convulsed by new revelations > in the paedophile scandal that rocked the > country more than two years ago and shook the > state to its foundations. > > Anguish over the abduction and death of girls > as young as eight at the hands of a convicted > sex offender, Marc Dutroux, together with > persistent allegations of official cover-ups, > has been revived by an announcement that the > chief investigating magistrate in the case > wants to reopen medical evidence of sexual > assault on the children. > > And, in further disclosures which Belgium is > doing its best to ignore, a book by the highly > respected chairman of a parliamentary inquiry > into the case claims that his commission's > findings were muzzled by political and > judicial leaders to prevent details emerging > of complicity in the crimes. > > The revelations, just seven weeks before a > general election, could sink the chances of > the prime minister, Jean-Luc Dehaene, whose > government has been severely damaged by the > scandal that made Belgium a byword for horror > and incompetence in 1996. > > The parents of the two girls have reacted with > outrage to the news that, 2 years on, the > magistrate, Jacques Langlois, wants to reopen > the autopsy specifically to see whether > Melissa Russo and Julie Lejeune were sexually > assaulted. > > The families, who have faced a nightmarish > four years since their children disappeared, > and will have to wait another two years before > Mr Dutroux is tried, have experienced scarcely > credible official callousness during their > ordeal. > > On top of police scepticism when they > originally reported that their children had > vanished, and an incompetent police inquiry to > trace them, the parents were even confronted > by the original postmortems' gynaecological > revelations of assault during a live > television appearance after the bodies were > found. > > Although Mr Langlois has said he does not want > to open the children's graves, he has referred > the original postmortem findings by three > Belgian pathologists to a French expert, > Michel Durignon, for medical review. > > 'For us it is a confirmation that the inquiry > is being mishandled,' said Gino Russo, > Melissa's father. 'We had our doubts but this > confirms them. What on earth is there left to > believe in in Belgium?' > > The children received what amounted almost to > a state funeral in August 1996 after their > bodies were found buried in Mr Dutroux's back > garden in Charleroi. They had disappeared 14 > months before, and had apparently starved to > death, locked in a cell in Mr Dutroux's > basement, while he served a three-month prison > sentence for another crime. > > The bodies of two teenage girls were also > found buried in the garden, with that of > Bernard Weinstein, an associate with whom he > had fallen out. > > Two other teenage girls were found alive in > the basement cell after the police, who had > previously searched the property three times > without noticing it, finally broke into the > house. > > Although there is plenty of evidence that Mr > Dutroux kidnapped the children, allowed them > to die and then buried them, Mr Langlois now > apparently wants to establish whether he also > sexually assaulted them and, if not, whether > anyone else did during his absence in prison. > > Some psychologists' reports have cast doubts > about whether Mr Dutroux is a sexual abuser of > girls. > > Belgians have long been suspicious of an > official cover-up of his activities, partly > because of the sheer ineptitude of the police > investigation and because he was released > [Image] early after a previous conviction for sex > offences. > > In a hidebound and bureaucratic country with > one of the biggest black economies in Europe, > suspicions and conspiracy theories flourish - > in this case that Mr Dutroux either received > protection or that senior figures used his > services. > > One of the rescued girls, Sabine Dardenne, 12, > who was locked up in the cell for three > months, told police of being taken to a > 'beautiful white house' by Mr Dutroux and > being sexually assaulted. > > A parliamentary inquiry in 1997 stilled some > criticism by stating it had found no evidence > of high-up involvement, but that is being > called into direct question by its former > chairman. > > Marc Verwilghen, the Flemish parliamentarian > who became the most popular politician in the > country after leading the inquiry, claims in a > book that the Belgian establishment, including > heads of the government, sought to stifle and > ridicule his report. > > 'It is bad but human. Many people felt that > the [parliamentary] commission [of inquiry] > challenged their power,' he says in Paroles > d'Homme. > > Mr Verwilghen claims that senior political and > legal figures refused to cooperate with the > inquiry. He says magistrates and police were > officially told to refuse to answer certain > questions, in what he describes as 'a > characteristic smothering operation'. > > He specifically blames Mr Langlois for > refusing to hand over evidence of official > protection for Mr Dutroux. > > 'Langlois did not keep his promise I can say > today that if we had received that > information, our report would have been > without doubt more precise and detailed For > me, the Dutroux affair is a question of > organised crime.' > > Mr Verwilghen also attacks Mr Dahaene, who has > been prime minister since 1991, for his > complacency. 'He knows [the problems of the > justice system] but he has done nothing. > Things are getting worse and Dehaene is > content to just watch. These terrible events > have left him cold. He hasn't budged.' > > Meanwhile, disciplinary sanctions have now > been lifted against the only police officer > accused of negligence from the Dutroux > investigation. And Mr Dutroux waits in prison > for a trial that may not begin before the > spring of 2001. > > A catalogue of terror > > June 1995 Melissa Russo and Julie Lejeune are > kidnapped while playing near their homes near > Liege > > August 1995 - Ann Marchal,19 and Eefje > Lambreks, 17, disappear while on holiday in > Ostend > > November 1995 - Dutroux is sent to prison for > three months for car crime > > June 1996 - Sabine Dardenne, 12, is kidnapped > > August 1996 - Sabine -and Laetitia Delheze, > 14, who was kidnapped two weeks earlier - are > rescued from cell in Dutroux's basement after > he leads police to them. Bodies of Melissa and > Julie found buried in his garden, together > with his associate, Bernard Weinstein. Dutroux > is arrested along with his wife, a lodger, an > associate with political connections and a > traffic policeman > > September 1996 - Bodies of Ann and Eefje are > uncovered > > October 1996 - 350,000 angry Belgians march > through Brussels to protest against police and > judicial incompetence in the affair > > October 1997 - Belgian parliamentary inquiry > headed by Marc Verwilghen accuses the police > of bungling > > April 1998 - Dutroux escapes temporarily from > police custody en route to court by taxi with > two unarmed officers > > Autumn 2000-01 - Earliest that Dutroux and > associates likely to come to trial > > > >
