Belgian Lawyer Funded Maserati with Client Money Faces Trial

After more than seven years of delays and legal wrangling, Marc Gadisseur — the former lawyer from Merksem, Antwerp, who allegedly used client funds to finance a Maserati, an 18-meter sailing yacht, and a holiday villa in Mallorca — will finally appear before the Antwerp Criminal Court on September 1, 2026. His 84 victims have waited over five years for this day.

According to Het Laatste Nieuws, victims and their lawyers received summons this week, confirming the long-awaited trial date. The case has been the most-read and most-shared story on HLN, reflecting deep public outrage in Belgium.

The Fraud Scheme

Gadisseur operated as a trusted local lawyer in Merksem for years, handling everything from inheritance disputes to personal injury claims. His scheme was deceptively simple: he diverted client funds — money owed to them after court judgments, inheritance settlements, or other legal proceedings — into his own third-party accounts (derdenrekeningen). When clients demanded payment, he fabricated hundreds of excuses to delay, stringing them along with empty promises.

In total, he is accused of defrauding approximately €12 million from an estimated 84 to nearly 100 clients. The money funded an extravagant lifestyle that included a Maserati GranTurismo with the custom license plate “Ad Rem,” an 18-meter sailing yacht named “Un poco más” (Spanish for “A little more”), a holiday villa in Mallorca, an apartment in Knokke, a Mercedes 500 AMG, a Jeep, and multiple properties in Kapellen and Putte.

Timeline of Justice Delayed

Gadisseur’s arrest in January 2019 came after a Dutch businessman exposed his scheme. He was placed in pre-trial detention on suspicion of forgery, breach of trust, theft, and fraud. By February 2019, the commercial court had declared him bankrupt, and curator Annemie Moens was appointed to recover assets for victims.

Despite being struck from the roll of lawyers, Gadisseur was released under conditions in September 2019 pending trial. Remarkably, he soon began offering legal advice on the freelance platform Freelance Network, advertising himself as a “jurist with more than thirty years of experience” — a move that sparked outrage among his victims.

The investigation dragged on for years. In October 2021, it was finally completed, with investigators describing Gadisseur as “the man of 100 bank accounts who made €12 million disappear.” Yet the trial date remained elusive as legal battles over evidence delayed proceedings.

Victims Speak Out

Noëlla De Wreede, 65, from Zwijndrecht, was one of Gadisseur’s victims. She entrusted him with €65,000 of her savings after being defrauded by her ex-boyfriend. In a 2019 interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, she said: “I’ve been sick for months because of what that man did to me. But for him, there’s clearly nothing wrong. He just carries on as if nothing happened.”

Another victim, Walter S., testified about how Gadisseur kept him on a string for years with “talk and empty promises.” Despite the sale of Gadisseur’s assets following his arrest, victims have reportedly not yet received any compensation.

Regulatory Controversy

A central controversy in this case is the role of the Order of Flemish Bar Associations (Orde van Advocaten), the legal profession’s regulatory body. Multiple complaints had been filed against Gadisseur over the years, yet the Order allegedly failed to intervene. A raid on the Order’s offices reportedly uncovered disciplinary complaints about Gadisseur that had not been acted upon.

As reported by Advocatie, the Order fought to keep disciplinary files out of the criminal case, citing Article 477 of the Judicial Code, which protects lawyers from self-incrimination through disciplinary proceedings. Katrien Crauwels, President of the Bar (Stafhouder), argued that including disciplinary complaints in the criminal file could lead to the entire case against Gadisseur being declared void. However, the Antwerp Court of Appeal ultimately ruled that the disciplinary files could remain in the criminal case.

Nick Heinen, the lawyer representing approximately 30 victims, holds the Order partly responsible, arguing they should have noticed Gadisseur’s practices earlier and intervened. The court-appointed curator, Annemie Moens, is seeking €10 million from the Antwerp Bar Association, alleging they knew about the fraud but allowed it to continue. Gadisseur managed dozens of third-party accounts that were supposedly subject to annual oversight by the Order — checks that appear to have been inadequate.

Asset Recovery and Victim Compensation

Following Gadisseur’s arrest, a significant portion of his assets were sold off: the Maserati, the yacht “Un poco más,” the Mallorca villa, the Knokke apartment, and properties in Kapellen and Putte. Yet despite these sales, victims have reportedly not yet received any compensation as of June 2026. The total fraud amount of €12 million far exceeds the likely recoverable assets, raising questions about whether the 84 victims will ever see their money again.

Broader Implications

This case has severely damaged public trust in the legal profession in Belgium. The HLN article was the most-read and most-shared story on the day of publication, and public comments reflected widespread frustration with what many perceive as a system that protects professionals rather than the public.

The case has also sparked debate about whether professional regulatory bodies provide adequate oversight. Multiple commenters called for the abolition of the current system of professional self-regulation, arguing that bodies like the Order of Barristers serve primarily to protect their members.

What’s Next

The trial on September 1 will determine Gadisseur’s fate, but broader questions remain. Will the €10 million claim against the Order of Barristers succeed? Will victims ever receive meaningful compensation? And will this case lead to meaningful regulatory reform in how the Belgian legal profession is overseen?

For the 84 victims who have waited more than half a decade, the September trial date represents the first real sign that justice may finally be within reach.