Foyer Anderlechtois Board Suspends President Lotfi Mostefa
The board of directors of the Foyer anderlechtois, the largest social housing company in the Brussels-Capital Region, voted on Monday to temporarily suspend its president, Lotfi Mostefa, after socialist administrators boycotted the extraordinary meeting. Vice-president Marcela Gori (MR) has taken over as interim president, according to RTBF.
Context of the Crisis
The suspension marks the culmination of weeks of political turmoil following investigative reports by the VRT’s “Pano” program and La Libre Belgique, which revealed allegations of clientelism, political interference, and favoritism in the allocation of social housing in Anderlecht. The scandal has threatened not only the local municipal coalition but also the broader Brussels regional government.
On May 28, searches were conducted at the Foyer headquarters, Mostefa’s office at the municipal house, and his private home, led by investigating judge Aurélie Dejaiffe and the Central Office for the Repression of Corruption, as reported by RTBF. The Foyer stated it “takes note of the investigative duties decided by the justice system and fully cooperates with the judicial authorities.”
The Board Meeting and Its Aftermath
The extraordinary board meeting on Monday saw the four socialist administrators absent, leaving the MR, Les Engagés, and Anders representatives to vote 5-0 in favor of Mostefa’s temporary suspension. The board has 11 members, but one seat had recently been vacated by Hari Shrestha (Vooruit), reducing the quorum requirement. The MR-Engagés-Anders coalition argued they had quorum with five members; the PS disputes this.
Marcela Gori, now interim president, stated that her mandate is “transitional” and invited the PS to propose a permanent replacement. “In the current context, our collective responsibility is to ensure the serenity of the institution and preserve the trust of tenants,” she said in a statement cited by RTBF. “Out of respect for the majority agreements and for our partners, I invite the socialist representatives to propose as soon as possible a person capable of sustainably assuming this function.”
The Anders party defended the decision, saying: “The temporary withdrawal of the president does not prejudge the outcome of ongoing investigations. It aims to restore serenity, transparency, and trust around the functioning of the Foyer anderlechtois.”
Political Fallout
The PS has denounced the meeting as “irregular” and is contesting the legality of the decision. The party argues that only the president can convene a board meeting, that the urgency was not sufficiently motivated since an ordinary meeting was scheduled for Thursday, and that Mostefa should have been heard before any decision. The decision could be challenged before the Enterprise Court.
The scandal erupted after the VRT’s “Pano” program obtained hundreds of voice messages allegedly demonstrating Mostefa’s influence over social housing allocations for clientelist purposes. The report also implicated Safouane Akremi (Vooruit), former president of the SLRB, the regional housing oversight body.
The crisis escalated to the regional level when the Flemish liberal party Anders threatened to leave the Brussels government if no parliamentary inquiry was established. The Brussels Parliament subsequently created an inquiry commission to investigate the management of the Foyer anderlechtois.
Broader Implications
Anderlecht has been a stronghold of the PS for decades, and the party has traditionally held the presidency of the Foyer anderlechtois as part of coalition agreements. The scandal has severely strained the local coalition between PS, MR, and Les Engagés, while also testing the broader Brussels regional government.
Three other investigations had already been opened concerning the Foyer anderlechtois before the Pano report, including one at the instruction stage. This fourth investigation was assigned to the Central Office for the Repression of Corruption, signaling the seriousness with which Belgian authorities are treating the allegations.
What’s Next
The coming weeks will be critical for the Foyer anderlechtois and the broader Brussels political landscape. The PS may challenge the suspension in court, while the parliamentary inquiry commission will investigate broader governance failures. Meanwhile, the question of who will permanently replace Mostefa as president remains open, with the ball now in the PS’s court to propose a candidate capable of restoring trust in the institution.