Belgium Transit Minister Resigns after Airport Security Lapses

Belgium Transit Minister Resigns after Airport Security Lapses

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Apr 15, 2016

Secret documents leaking the information that security lapses had been found at Belgian airports prior to the March 22 bombings on the Brussels airport has led to the resignation of Belgian transit minister, Jacqueline Galant.

After the documents were leaked, Prime Minister Charles Michel spoke with Galant about the validity of the situation. Michel said that after their conversation, “The minister presented her resignation to the King and the King accepted it.”

The leaked document was made public by two Belgian opposition parties. It called the oversight of security measures at the nation’s airports flawed and cited serious deficiencies in the way safety checks were managed.

Galant said the leak was part of a vendetta against her by a disgruntled senior transport official and insisted that she had always paid very close attention to security concerns. She maintains that she had never before seen the leaked report, but had heard a summary of it at a cabinet meeting in June of 2015.

No immediate replacement was named for Galant but Michel said he would do so as soon as possible.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

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