Stéphane Pauwels arrest: Football presenter charged over armed robbery

Belgian sport journalist and presenter Stephane Pauwels (2016 file picture) Symbol copyright AFP Image caption Mr Pauwels has hosted soccer shows for Belgian and French TV

one in all Belgium’s best soccer TELEVISION presenters has been charged with being an partner to an armed robbery, prosecutors have stated.

Stéphane Pauwels, who has hosted presentations for Belgian and French TV, was once arrested as a component of an enormous police probe.

The 2017 robbery, defined through media as a “house invasion”, happened within the wealthy the town of Lasne, near Brussels.

The arrest is part of an investigation introduced several months ago into armed robberies, burglaries and drug dealing.

Five persons are these days in custody as a results of it.

Mr Pauwels, 50, was once detained on Tuesday, and on Wednesday seemed sooner than a judge who charged him and granted conditional bail.

he is suspected of being an companion to “armed robbery with violence, firearms, at evening, as a part of a gang, the usage of a vehicle”.

The presenter is alleged to have complained approximately his partner’s former husband who was once allegedly harassing them, in line with Belgian media.

He is said to have given the man’s name to a colleague who then allegedly organized for the raid to happen at the man’s home, the reviews say.

The rate Mr Pauwels is facing doesn’t indicate his presence throughout the raid or that he carried out any violent acts, his legal professionals had been quoted as announcing on Thursday afternoon.

Suspended

Mr Pauwels is a presenter on Belgium’s RTL-TVI channel – the country’s top non-public broadcaster – and may be identified in France for hosting football programmes on several stations.

Parent company RTL Belgium has suspended Mr Pauwels with quick effect.

Reaction on social media has been blended, with some criticising Mr Pauwels while others have expressed their toughen for the presenter.