Civil Service, Public Enterprises, Telecommunications and Post Services Minister Petra De Sutter (Greens/EFA) had to explain herself before the Chamber on Tuesday regarding several controversies surrounding the links between the postal company Bpost and her cabinet.
Two Bpost employees were sent to De Sutter’s cabinet in 2020, one as an advisor for the postal sector and digitisation, the other for legal matters, including negotiations between the public company Bpost – owned in majority by the State – and the cabinet on new management contracts. But they were paid by Bpost while negotiating the contract on behalf of the Ministry.
After this was revealed, many were alarmed at the potential conflict of interest.
The minister had to dismiss the two collaborators but explained that it was common practice to bring in staff from Bpost because the cabinet did not have experts in the postal sector.
During her hearing, De Sutter said she wants the decree on the dispatch of staff from public companies to be amended so that it is no longer possible to dispatch staff from listed companies, such as Bpost.
She told RTL that it was now clear that such ties had to be cut, partly because of “Bpost’s internal functioning”, referring to other maladministrations Bpost has been accused of.
However, she defended the two employees, saying that they had been “wrongly accused of working for Bpost while they were working for [her cabinet],” so it was impossible for them to “continue to function normally in the cabinet”.
According to her, they never took or influenced political decisions, which were her responsibility.
However, this is not the only reason the postal service is in turmoil. Belgian news media also revealed that Bpost awarded contracts to consultants – including McKinsey – for vast sums of money without issuing a call for tenders as required by law.
According to De Tijd and L’Echo, this was common practice at Bpost, which justifies it by the urgent nature of these tasks and the need for specific expertise on the topics.
The news media also revealed that some of Bpost’s managers and directors had previously worked for McKinsey and, notably the current chairwoman of the board of directors.
Asked about the contract with McKinsey awarded without a public enquiry, De Sutter said she had found out about it in the press.
“I am not the CEO of Bpost nor the chairwoman of the board of directors. […] I have nothing to do with these practices, which I condemn […],” De Sutter told RTL.
It was also revealed that certain services were overcharged to the State by Bpost. These revelations concern three contracts: the sending of number plates that Bpost carries out on behalf of the FPS Mobility, the processing of road fines on behalf of the FPS Justice, and the management of State accounts on behalf of the FPS Finance.
The Federal government will investigate all contracts concluded by Bpost on its behalf.
“I want the relationship between Bpost and the government to become clearer again. I have just presented an action plan to this effect to parliament. Additional control. Different rules for dispatched staff,” the minister said on Twitter later in the day.
“I ask the board of directors [of Bpost] to shed light on the internal investigations underway at Bpost. Its chairwoman […] will explain herself to the parliament on 16 May about the ongoing files,” she continued.
According to RTL, with this case, the EU Commission could consider Belgium guilty of illegal state subsidies.
(Anne-Sophie Gayet | EURACTIV.com)
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