Recusal request in RSC Anderlecht sale case granted

The Brussels Court of Appeal has granted the recusal request filed by player agent Christophe Henrotay. The request was directed against the president of the criminal court in the case regarding the sale of football club RSC Anderlecht to businessman Marc Coucke, which took place in 2017.

As a result of this decision, the legal proceedings must be fully restarted, this time with a differently composed court. According to lawyer Dimitri de Béco, representing Henrotay, the ruling will influence the further course of the case.

The case had already faced a difficult start and had been postponed multiple times, increasing the complexity of the legal process. The decision of the Court of Appeal means that all previous court sessions will be declared invalid.

Henrotay, involved as a player agent, claimed that there were irregularities in the sale of the club. There are some controversies surrounding the purchase, with accusations that Coucke may have been defrauded in the sale. This appears to have been the basis for the submitted recusal request.

With this ruling, the Brussels Court of Appeal has introduced a significant turn in the legal proceedings. The new trial will now need to be presided over by judges who were not involved in the previous process. This allows for a fresh assessment of the case and the parties involved.

The date for the restart of the trial has not yet been announced. Pending further steps, the legal debate surrounding this sale may continue in a new courtroom.