A total of nine people were arrested in a police operation in an investigation into the import of cocaine from South America. One of the arrested people is helicopter pilot Luc B., the man behind the well-known helicopter company Heliventure from Lint. He was also arrested last year during a police operation against large-scale drug smuggling by helicopters. Pol Vandemeulebroucke, a former criminal lawyer in Antwerp, is also said to have been arrested.
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The latter, rather striking name, is no surprise to Van der Aa. “This was written in the stars,” our journalist gets straight to the point. “Since Pol stopped being a lawyer, he has not been doing so well. His precise role is not yet clear, but this is bad news for him, because he also has to stand trial in the Kriva Rochem case.”
It is not the first time that Vandemeulebroucke has come into contact with the law in a negative way. “In 2002 he was also in pre-trial detention for weeks,” Van der Aa remembers. “Afterwards the man was discredited a number of times, but he always got away with it. Until a few years ago, when he interpreted his role as lawyer a bit too broadly in a drug investigation. This led to a criminal conviction and ultimately to his disbarment, which means that he is no longer allowed to practice law,” our man explains.
What has he done since then? “Very bad stories,” Van der Aa begins. “First of all, he was evicted from his house in Merksplas, where he has always lived. Furthermore, his name was associated with a number of fugitives. He is also said to have provided legal advice, all in connection with his former clients,” he refers to the drug environment.
Van der Aa fears that the worst is yet to come for Vandemeulebroucke. “Where he used to go up and over the dividing line, he has now really ended up in the environment. I don’t know if things will ever work out for the man.”
(WVB)
