(Brussels Times) A court has agreed to temporarily suspend the hefty penalty payments slapped on the government for failing to initiate the repatriation of children of Belgian Islamic State (IS) fighters from Syria.
Striking down a request for the penalty to be revised downwards, the Court of Appeal ruled that the fine imposed on the government was justified but agreed to grant the state a deferment, De Standaard reports.
The deferment comes as the bill the Belgian government was ordered to pay after failing to meet the deadline granted by a previous ruling soars past €500,000.
Last year, Belgium was ordered to repatriate ten children of IS members with claims to Belgian nationality or pay a fine of €5,000 for each child and for each day it failed to move towards the repatriation.
