Between the confidence shown to the municipal council and the words spoken to the board of directors of Immoval, Jean-Luc Pluymers, former president of this board, admits a political communication contradictory with the real situation of the project, but thinks “that it is due to the combined optimism of the two protagonists Pierre Grivegnée and Alain Mathot.”
Does Alain Mathot still follow the Cristal Park affair? He whispers yes. On the contrary, he tells him that he is done with politics. Be that as it may, he got personally involved in it when he was mayor of Seraing… while assuring the municipal council that Immoval “is a private company” and using this argument to deny PTB adviser Damien Robert the requested information.
Questions and concerns
Politicians seem, at several times, to have had doubts. At the municipal council of December 2015, the liberal councilor and administrator of Immoval Fabian Culot put it bluntly: “I am an administrator worried about the financial situation of Immoval […] we are in a relatively vague and somewhat worrying situation for this project.” Ecologist Jean Thiel agrees: “I agree with Fabian’s concern”.
Doubts are expressed including about the linchpin of the project. In a letter from 2011, which begins with the words “Dear Alain, Dear Jean-Luc”Pierre Grivegnée defends himself from the suspicions he believes he has perceived against him.
“I’m sorry to see how a ‘side table discussion’ with you on Wednesday could have escalated in this way.
Alain’s questions related to the composition of IMMOVAL’s shareholding (who has what in the shareholding) and I don’t think I really perceived that it was a request for a complete cash position to committed funds. […]
I understand that the meeting with Meusinvest ended in failure but I do not understand that it could have turned to such suspicion towards me on a potential misappropriation or confusion of assets of nearly 3 million Euros, if I understood well !”
Did this letter reach Alain Mathot? The former mayor of Seraing replied that he did not remember the message, nor the event he relates, that others than him are named Alain, that the letter was probably not addressed to him. …and he ended the conversation. Jean-Luc Pluymers, the other recipient, remembers “that at some point, there were major discussions on the amounts committed within the framework of Immoval and that Alain Mathot had requested additional investigations on the money spent by Immoval. There had been an internal investigation carried out by Meusinvest if I remember correctly. The investigation had shown that there had not been a single penny embezzled”.
Shoes, car racing, accounting mess and terminated credit card
Jean-Luc Pluymers does not consider the ex-boss of Cristal Park to be dishonest: “I don’t see it like that, quite the contrary. He spent a good chunk of his company’s money on this project.” He ensures that at the executive committee, the financial aspect “was discussed at every meeting and that Pierre Grivegnée was constantly asked to account for every penny spent.”
However, some of his expenses raise questions. In June 2010 Immoval settled a bill of 13,600 euros to Jean-Michel Lestienne, a French insurance broker specializing in car racing, a sport that Pierre Grivegnée practiced at least until 2014, on Porsche and Aston Martin. In addition, account statements linked to Immoval’s credit card show purchases and withdrawals that seem private, hotel reservations, in particular at Eurodisney. An expense of 360 euros in 2008 is identified as “JM Weston”, which may correspond to a purchase of shoes.