[Interview] Georges Henri Beauthier: “Laetitia wants to know the truth”
(B2) Georges-Henri Beauthier is a lawyer as you might like them. Precise, clear, decisive, he doesn't spend his time parading around with beautiful formulas, but he doesn't mince these words either. Former president of the Human Rights League, he is not really a beginner. And he loves causes that seem just to him. He was thus the defender of the civil parties in many international cases initiated in Belgium against the Rwandan genocidaires and dictators of all stripes (Pinochet, Yerodia, Saddam Hussein, etc.). While his colleague Jan Fermon defended the civil parties in a lawsuit brought against General Franks. A fine team which succeeded – a feat – in bringing Michel Nihoul before the Assize Court, while the investigation was underway and certain judges were leaning towards an acquittal.
Why did you reintroduce Nihoul in this trial, you don't believe in the isolated pervert?
The investigation was conducted in such a way that we found ourselves with an isolated pervert, a stooge and a holy nincompoop. But there are indeed four people involved, a criminal gang... Martin (Dutroux's wife) was already involved in the rape of 1985. Lelièvre is not the little drug addict under Nihoul's orders. When he rapes, he's not the little stooge. As for Dutroux, with 4 daughters, alive, in his house, where it is necessary to organize life together without them meeting, meals, etc. it’s a job in its own right. It is not a pedophile alone in his cage who rapes. No !
Will this trial reveal what really happened?
There will certainly be parts of the truth. Probably not the whole truth. But they (the four accused) will have to tell the ultimate truth, there will be no time after that. That is what my client wants. Laetitia does not want to be complained about at all. She tells me: I need to know what truth they are going to tell. Why me, what were they going to do with me? Who wanted to do what? We had at least 8 x 4 versions on the period in which Laetitia and Sabine were kidnapped, one day it was to expand Dutroux's family, the other day to keep Sabine company or put them in a network. Finally, we should be told which of these versions is the correct one.
Sabine Dardenne will come to the trial to testify, will Laetitia do it too?
Laetitia is in a completely different angle. She wants to be left alone, and at the same time, she hopes to be a victim who lives up to the task. Am I going to be a good witness? This question, this kind of guilt that hangs over her… it’s terrible.” We find here all the perversity of Dutroux’s crime, who helped these girls play Nintendo, or gave them chocolate after the rape. We are in contact with Laetitia every day now. She is not the same every day. There are days when she is calm, others when she is excited, sometimes when she cries. Laetitia greatly admires Sabine and her courage to confront Dutroux. She doesn’t know if she will have this willpower. Leading a normal life is her way of resolving this problem. This question of rape that we put in front of everyone is painful…
Interview by Nicolas Gros-Verheyde, in Brussels
(published in France-Soir)