One of Belgium’s top football TV presenters has been charged with being an accomplice to an armed robbery near Brussels, prosecutors have revealed.
Stéphane Pauwels, who has hosted shows for Belgian and French TV, appeared before a judge on Wednesday and was granted conditional bail.
He is suspected of being an accomplice to “armed robbery with violence, firearms, at night, as part of a gang, using a vehicle”.
Five other people charged in relation to the 2017 robbery, described in media reports as a “home invasion”, remain in custody.
The 50-year-old’s arrest came after an investigation was launched several months ago into armed robberies, burglaries and drug dealing.
Belgian media reported that the presenter had complained about his partner’s former husband who was allegedly harassing them.
Pauwels, reports claim, was said to have given the man’s name to a colleague who then allegedly arranged for the raid to take place at the man’s home in the wealthy town of Lasne.
The charge Pauwels faces does not indicate his presence during the raid or that he carried out any violent acts, his lawyers were quoted as saying on Thursday afternoon, according to a report by the BBC.
Pauwels is a presenter on Belgium’s RTL-TVI channel - the country’s leading private broadcaster - and is also known in France for hosting football programmes on several stations.
Parent company RTL Belgium has suspended Pauwels with immediate effect.