Last week, the Correctional Court of Antwerp delivered a verdict in regards a case concerning the deliberate provision of incorrect diamond certificates by employees in 2012. Following the verdict, the Court imposed severe sanctions on the involved parties including effective incarceration, forfeiture of certain rights and substantial financial penalties and compensations.
At the start of the process in 2012, HRD Antwerp and parent company AWDC both have declared themselves civil party due to significant reputational damage. Throughout this case, HRD Antwerp has had full confidence in the investigation by the prosecutor’s office but has never been directly involved.
The involved diamond companies and their representatives have since been declared persona non grata and are no longer customers at HRD Antwerp. The involved employees where immediately fired due to severe professional errors.
“HRD Antwerp fully supports the recent ruling of the Court in regards this unfortunate case. It’s extremely important such violations do not remain without consequences. The imposed sanctions are therefore a strong signal towards the industry that such practices are not tolerated. We like to thank our customers for their loyalty and confidence despite this isolated case†says Peter Macken, CEO HRD Antwerp.