Following this refusal, the co -president of Ecolo left the table of the municipal council and took matters into his own hands. “”We wanted to investigate our own means. We have exercised our right of way to the municipal administration. We asked for all the deliberations of the college which related China. We did not imagine finding much, and yet we have received 155 pages which have traced since 2012 relations with China. “
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30 games in 13 years
In all these pages, the member of the Hutoise opposition has counted no less than 30 games between the city of Huy and Chinese representatives. Rodrigue Demeuse, also a municipal councilor in Huy, says he was shocked by the multitude of documents. “”We were struck by the number of these relationships but also by the importance of the gifts offered and received which are paid both by the Chinese Embassy to Elected Hutois but also by the City of Huy at China. We do not know a single other commune in which there are so many exchanges and relations. “
Samuel Cogolati returns to Huy’s position vis-à -vis Tibet and questions a “soft-power” Chinese. “”The city made a strong decision on June 23, 2014 during the last visit to the Dalai Lama. Despite the pressures of China, she had kept her good relations with the Tibetans. Only one advisor had retired from this point: Éric Dosogne. It had been decided to wear the Tibet flag every March 10, which has not been done for a few years. “
In total, the city of Huy would have spent several thousand euros for these diplomatic relations with the Asian country according to Samuel Cogolati. “”Repeated gifts, invitations to concerts or absurd events such as a pandas competition that has nothing to do with the Hutois municipal interest which are paid by the city. Each time, there is the presence of the same socialist alderman. “
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“Nothing has ever been hidden”
Éric Dosogne for his side defends itself and explains that everything has always been done transparently. “”There have always been deliberations, nothing has ever been hidden. Different contacts were established according to the relationships we had that were correct. “ As for the 30 meetings in the space of 13 years, the elected socialist recalls the length of the period concerned and is justified by evoking other partnerships. “”With Compiègne we have as much, with Benin too. “
Like Éric Dosogne, Christopher Collignon plays the transparency card. “”All release documents come from deliberations. Everything has been done transparently and legally. “
The Hutois bourgmestre invites the opposition to show more restraint. “”I can understand that Mr. Cogolati is challenged by the revelations of the state security about Mr. Dosogne. But we must take into account the presumption of innocence and the fact that Eric Dosogne denies these accusations. Samuel Cogolati has been elected since 2015, Rodrigue Demeuse since 2012. They have always had access to all the deliberations of the college. What bothers me is that, of the initial problem, we are now wondering about the management of the city about its various friendships. The events took place in public space. Why during all these years they did not ask any questions? We call into question all the people who have been in college since 2012. “
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“Throwing the city management”
The former minister of local powers categorically refutes the assumptions of the city’s neutrality on political decisions. “”I would like to be told the decision that would have been influenced by China. “
Faced with revelations put forward by Huy’s leader in common, Christophe Collignon denounces a drift. “”These acts aim to throw stigma on city management. It is only policy made to create a smoke screen. The bottom of my thought is that we cannot catch up with the beating that we took in the ballot boxes and try to win on green carpet, and that’s a bit what happened today. “
