Belgian-Moroccan Couple Face Criminal Charges for Pension Fraud While Living in Morocco

A Belgian-Moroccan couple who permanently reside in Morocco is accused of having improperly received a pension. This is the essence of 20 anonymous letters that a particularly well-informed person sent to the Federal Pensions Service. This person claimed that a Belgian-Moroccan couple was receiving a pension while living in their home in Morocco. An investigation into the couple’s air travel will be opened in 2022. "The author of the letters then pointed out that the couple readily traveled to their country of origin by car. The investigation was therefore able to determine that the couple was abroad for the majority of the time," reports La Dernière Heure. Investigators discover that tens of thousands of euros have been improperly paid to the couple.

This couple - a man born in 1950 and a woman born in 1953 - arrived from Morocco thanks to their son. He married a Belgian woman of Moroccan origin. This marriage allowed him to obtain Belgian nationality. Afterwards, he initiated the family reunification procedure. This is how his parents joined Belgium. After five years, they applied for and obtained naturalization. The couple applied for the GRAPA, the Guaranteed Income for the Elderly, and receive a pension every month.

After the discovery of the thousands of euros improperly received, seizures were made. The couple has started repaying the diverted sums. The case is brought before the Liège Criminal Court. Did the son help his parents fill out the documents? The person concerned answered in the affirmative. However, he denied knowing that it was fraud.

Absent from the previous hearing, the couple arrived during the closing arguments. The two Belgian-Moroccans refused to be assisted by an interpreter, although they do not speak French. The Labor Prosecutor’s Office has requested a fine of 6,400 euros against each member of the couple. The Prosecutor’s Office has also requested a fine of 5,600 euros against their son, who is being prosecuted as a co-perpetrator. The verdict will be handed down this September.