Accompanied by his lawyer , the former director general of Caritas Marc Crochet answered questions from MPs. He did not address the legal aspects of the case--which is not the mandate of the special committee--as an investigation is still underway. On this point, Crochet told MPs that he would assume his responsibilities and admitted that he should have detected the fraud in time.

The former director general believes that the ASBL could have been saved. And if it wasn’t, it was due to a political decision. An internal solution could have been envisaged, he asserts. Like Marie-Josée Jacobs, he also questioned the responsibility of the banks, who still have not responded positively to the committee’s invitation to appear.

What now? The commission has extended its existence until June. But for now, after today’s hearing, its agenda remains empty. The rapporteur, MP  (LSAP) is due to present a report to the plenary session in June.

This article was originally published in .