18 million euros in damages awarded to victims of 2016 Brussels attacks
A total of 18,306,012.95 euros has been awarded to victims at the trial on the terrorist attacks of 22 March 2016, reported Flemish public broadcaster VRT. Last week, the Brussels assize court ruled in the civil part of the trial, about the damages. 36 people died and about 340 people were injured at the attacks at Brussels Airport and Maelbeek metro station.
The assize trial on the attacks in Brussels ended last year, but the victims of the bombings then still had to wait for a decision on their compensation. The damages ruling took place last week. This ruling only concerns the criminal proceedings: numerous victims have already been compensated by insurance companies in recent years.
There were a total of 1,023 civil parties – persons claiming to have suffered damages. Only a few civil parties were rejected for procedural reasons.
The 645-page judgment details how each civil party became a victim, what the impact of the attacks was and which compensation they are awarded. The court's motivation often reflects that people are compensated for “the circumstances of the attack”, “the loss of trust in man”, “the horror experienced” and “the fear of approaching death”.
In the vast majority of cases, the court fully met the demands of the civil parties, stressed VRT. In some cases, the compensation is not yet final because the medical reports are not yet ready or because the exact damage cannot yet be calculated. In those cases, victims were already given 1 euro in compensation pending a final amount.
Not only individuals received compensation. Brussels transport company STIB/MIVB for example also claimed civil damages and was awarded a sum of 1,547,893.52 euros. The Belgian state asked for and received damages of 2,601,386.13 euros, the highest amount of all civil parties. Moreover, it is a provisional amount, as the loss is estimated to amount to 3 million euros.
Receiving damages
But if determining the damages was already difficult, getting them will be even more complicated, according to VRT. In theory, the eight convicted perpetrators need to pay. But according to VRT, they will not be able to provide much financial compensation.
If it is officially established that they cannot pay their debt, victims still have two options. In case they have legal expenses insurance that includes a so-called third-party insolvency clause, they can still appeal for this insurance. The last solution is the Belgian government’s fund for victims of intentional crimes, set up in 1985. Everyone in Belgium who is criminally convicted has to pay a contribution to this fund.
The Brussels assize court ruled in the civil part of the trial of the Brussels terrorist attacks of 2016, on 31 October 2024 © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND