Jan Jambon's Port Adviser Controversy: The Truth Behind the Conflict of Interest

2023-07-10 11:26:54

The adviser in charge of port matters for Jan Jambon (N-VA) remained employed by the port of Antwerp for two years, Het Nieuwsblad reported on Monday. According to the newspaper, the Flemish minister-president lied about this in front of parliament. “To say something different in the press and in Parliament, there is a word for that: lie,” criticizes Groen.

“Yes, an adviser seconded from the port of Antwerp works in my office. And no, it’s not a problem”, declared the nationalist to the Flemish Parliament at the end of May. “I don’t see any conflict of interest there.” Jan Jambon had been questioned on this subject following the bpost affair involving Federal Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter (Groen).

“Temporary secondment”

According to Jan Jambon’s spokesperson, this situation is not comparable to that of Petra De Sutter, if only because the port is not listed on the stock exchange, as bpost is. “There is no conflict of interest. This is a temporary secondment, so that we have the necessary expertise internally to deal with complex files such as the one concerning Doel”, he explains.

An exchange of documents, which Het Nieuwsblad was able to read, however, suggests that there could still be a question of conflict of interest. The adviser represented Mr. Jambon in working groups between cabinets, where decisions are taken concerning the political management of the port of Antwerp.

Mieke Schauvliege @miekeschauv

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Jan Jambon has also always maintained that this adviser derives 40% of his remuneration from his position in the ministerial cabinet, but, according to the newspaper, this amount initially planned has been reduced to 20%.

Groen wants to question Jan Jambon about it in parliament this week. “Is it now 40% or 20%? “To say something different in the press and in Parliament, there is a word for that: lying”, questions group leader Mieke Schauvliege. The leader of his party, Jeremie Vaneeckhout, is also sharp. “We have a prime minister who lies to the Flemish Parliament or who hasn’t known for two years what his cabinets publish. Both are problematic.”

The seconded adviser remunerated according to his services, ensures the port

According to the port of Antwerp-Bruges, the halving of the billing planned for its adviser seconded to the cabinet of the Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon (N-VA) is “in line with the effective performance of the employee’ ”. The establishment thus reacts to the information of the Nieuwsblad.

Mr. Jambon would have always affirmed that the remuneration of this worker was supported at 40% by his firm, but this amount initially planned ended up being reduced by half after agreement of the parties. “A first invoice was drawn up in May this year,” says the port.

This agreement corresponds well to the benefits of the employee within the firm Jambon, ensures the port: “This represents an average of approximately one day per week over the whole period of secondment. It is therefore not a rebate, but only a matching of the billing with the actual services.”

Finally, the establishment adds that he is a “very experienced” engineer who is only seconded temporarily and on a part-time basis. “This colleague, as a consultant, has been providing policy support and technical advice since March 2021. Since the actual workload was not known at the time, it was mutually agreed not to proceed to invoicing only after a certain time.”