HOW THE FORTIS BANK ASSISTED A BELGIAN TO COMMIT A FRAUD AGAINST AN AFRICAN

Fortis Bank assisted a Belgian to steal the money an African deposited at the bank with impunity.



In Belgium, many landlords like to rent their houses to foreigners because they find it comfortable to cheat them with impunity. 

They demand three months guarantee, which is often deposited at the bank by the renter and tenant with both signatures confirming the deposit.

The significance of this deposit is that it is used for repairs in case any damage occurs if the tenant is ready to leave, but on many occasions, landlords refuse to give the tenants the money even though there isn't any damage.

In the year 2002, Mr. Daniel Sackey rented an apartment from one Mr. Pingnet Ludo of Jaak Embrechts Straat 19, at Deurne, a community in Antwerp. 

According to the Belgian renting laws, a guarantee should be blocked in the bank, and at the end of the contract, the guarantee can only be released with an agreement, signed by the tenant and the lessor.

A document with modifications will not be accepted for the amount. By lack of an agreement, the guarantee can also be released by agreement after the lessor inspects his apartment.

"In the apartment, we had a problem concerning water bills and repairs, which I deemed fit. I have been cheated upon for so long by Mr. Pingnet Ludo over the years," said Mr. Sackey.

   
"Through the negligence of Mr. Pingnet, my apartment was burgled by thieves when he gave the front door keys to my neighbors' acquaintance, whom he had no knowledge of who they were."

   
After the break-in of my apartment, the thieves made away with my laptop, camera, my car, and many other including mobile phones. That case is also pending, etc," said Mr. Sackey.

   
Within the period of 5 years, Mr. Pingnet refused to repair things in the house when something went wrong. Once, Mr. Sackey asked him to enable the insurance company to make the repairs, but he refused to comply with his request.

   
Due to his attitude, not interested in solving the problems at the apartment, Mr. Sackey decided to hold back some of the monthly rent and the yearly index, which resulted in the exchange of letters, until he got the house inspection team from Antwerp to intervene; thereafter, a date was fixed.

Unfortunately, that didn't help Mr. Sackey. Mr. Pingnet didn't carry out the repairs. He was successful in getting away after the house inspectors came to see the problems in the house because he is a Belgian, and they didn't do much because he is an African living in that apartment.

Mr. Sackey is aware of how a lot of Belgian landlords steal the guarantees or money deposited at the bank. Thus, immediately, he went to Fortis Bank to check whether the guarantee was there. The bank official, Negra, asked Mr. Sackey when the deposit was made at the bank.

   
Mr. Sackey provided his identity card and the account number indicating the deposit of the amount. After a brief conversation, the Fortis Bank official told Mr. Sackey that Mr. Pingnet Ludo has claimed the money. 

How can money deposited in my name with my signature be claimed by someone else? Asked Mr. Sackey. Mr. Pingnet successfully prepared the document and signed as Mr. Daniel Sackey to claim the blocked money, and the one who assisted him in committing this crime was Vicky Donckers. B 1976.0.

It was at the bank that Mr. Sackey detected that Mr. Pingnet Ludo had forged his signature and withdrew the money before the fixed date to move into the apartment in July 2002. Since all those years he had been living in that apartment before the problems surfaced, Mr. Pingnet had already stolen the money deposited at the bank.

The Belgian landlords who usually do that to foreigners have a way to enjoy their criminal activities with impunity. Mr. Pingnet has reported Mr. Sackey to the police, that he owes him, but didn't tell the police the reason he has delayed giving him his money.

Mr. Sackey has to go to the police station to meet the head inspector Van den Broeck Sven, and show him the forged signature of Mr. Pingnet, but nothing was done in his favor. That is Belgium, a country I have been living in for the past sixteen years. Nothing is done in favor of Africans; thus, most of the landlords are criminals.

To what extent can a bank conspire or collaborate with someone to steal money that belongs to another person with impunity? This is possible in Belgium because the victim of the fraud is African.

Mr. Sackey pointed out to the bank official that it's a crime. The best way to defend is to attack. The bank official wouldn't accept their fault because they didn't want to be responsible for the theft, so she got into a quarrel with Mr. Sackey.

When Mr. Sakey told her that she would inform the police, she accepted and urged him to do the report because she knew her country very well; nothing is done in favor of an African, moreover, the media will never publish his story.

There is a time for everything. A time to come into this world and a time to die. A time to be happy and a time to be sad. African- victims of such injustices have no power to prosecute them but a time will come when those people may meet their Waterloo, which may be a painful situation than what this poor African went through but they may never understand.

   

AN AFRICAN IN ANTWERP, A resident's story

The tale of an African in Belgium


"I want the Belgian authorities to know that the media have failed to address the crime that is perpetrated on foreigners. I will publish it," -Joel Savage.


The Belgium-based African journalist Joel Savage has published a pocket-sized book, An African in Antwerp. It’s his true life experience and a personal encounter about how he lives in a city where one in three adults is known to vote for the Extreme Right Party. 

It is also in Antwerp where Ouleymatou, the African nanny, was gunned down with the toddler under her care in broad daylight in a racist attack by Hans Van Themsche in May 2006. Joel Savage’s pocketbook is handy, small, and easy to read. An hour of good reading.

An African in Antwerp explains in detail how immigrants are systematically abused and blackmailed by landlords, employers, and even friends. We’re under constant threat, and the Police do very little to help. 

It reminds me of the number of mixed-race couples I have known where African men are under constant pressure… “don’t do this or I will call the Police,” And in Europe.

 

The police come, every time they’re called, because if something really happens, they never want to be accused of negligence. And in any encounter with the police, the first thing they ask for is your Identification documents.

While Africans demand treatment with dignity in Europe, the same is still tricky in Africa. And honestly, a collective good treatment in foreign lands will remain a tricky issue as long as human rights issues are not dealt with decisively in Africa. 

In my opinion, the continued racism in Europe, America, and Australia has direct roots in Africa, and the day five nations like Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, and Congo will raise the dignity of their citizens to be at par with an acceptable international level, the world will be forced to respect Africa.

So in Joel’s book, it's very interesting to read how honesty and hard work have helped him thrive in a society that offers little to its black population. Belgium is a country traumatized by the loss of its colonial power in Congo. 

It was a painful divorce that the tiny European kingdom was not able to cope with. They like their selective memories of their past with the Congo, how they brought civilization to Africa. But not how King Leopold III annexed a country as big as the whole of Western Europe and one of the richest in the world, to his personal wealth portfolio.

The tyranny, killing, and raping of African women is not part of that good old past. Last year, the Belgian award-winning film producer Georges Kamanayo, himself a product of a Belgian colonial man in Africa, exclaimed that his picture and many other mixed children like him are missing in the beautiful family album.

 

The family album that Belgium so proudly presents everywhere is of a happy family. This year, the country is preparing to remember the World Expo held in Brussels in 1958. But man, this is 2008, and Africa has long gained independence. Joel Savage’s book is available in African shops in Belgium.

The updated book is now published in America as 'Little Boygium-Wonderful experience.' 

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Boygium-Experience-Joel-Savage-ebook/dp/B013SJ7DCW?