Municipal authority in Anderlecht commissions external audit to examine malpractice at local social services 

The ‘Pano’ documentary brought a whole host of issues to light. The local social service department (OCMW) in Anderlecht is chronically understaffed. Due to the high pressure of work the social workers that are employed there are unable to carry out checks designed to ensure that only claimants that are entitled to benefits receive them. This has resulted in cases of benefits being given to people that are not entitled to them.  

In the documentary the President of the local social services board Lotfi Mostefa (Francophone socialist) was accused of clientelism. Earlier this week it emerged that Anderlecht Social Services had given support grants to help pay energy bills to people that were not entitled to them. These include 4 homeless people and a woman that had died. 

After the documentary was broadcast the Anderlecht Alderman responsible for the municipality’s finances Bieke Comer (Flemish socialist) called for an audit. In a statement released on Thursday the office of the Mayor of Anderlecht Frabrice Cumps said that “For several days now, the municipality has been preparing an external audit. We will invite the other supervisory regional and federal authorities to co-supervise the external audit”

The aim is to support Anderlecht social services in the strengthening of its internal control procedures. A consultative committee will bring together representatives of the municipal authority and the social services board to confirm when the audit will get under way and to decide how its progress is monitored.