(crossposted from !exclusive_public_resources)

The Council of State is a court that handles appeals, often to challenge non-court decisions like that of a public enforcement body. E.g. you report to SPF Mobilité that an airline or rail operator did not compensate you for a delay or cancellation, and they give you a flippant rejection, the Council of State is your recourse.

The Council of State will not open a case unless you pay a few hundred euros to their bank account. They do not accept cash.

So you might think: I’ll just hire a lawyer with cash and the lawyer will open the case. Nope. Belgian lawyers are prohibited from accepting cash.

  • lurch (he/him)@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    3·
    3 months ago

    but there’s this EU law that forces banks to give any resident an account. so you can open one, put the cash in at the bank, transfer it, then close it again. not very convenient tho

    • ciferecaNinjo@fedia.ioOP
      7·
      3 months ago

      You’re referring to “basic” accounts. Those are crippled accounts (e.g., no cash services in Belgium). There is no way to get the cash into a basic account. Basic accounts are also not gratis. You generally pay more for less, as retail accounts are sometimes gratis. But retail accounts are harder to get.

      There is also the scenario that some people are unbanked /by choice/. They should be able to retain their human rights like right to autonomy as they pursue their human right to a fair trial.

  • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
    3·
    3 months ago

    Its strange a country would not require businesses and the government itself to accept the countries currency. I mean that is one of the foundations holding up fiat currency.

    • Tiresia@slrpnk.net
      2·
      3 months ago

      About as strange as a country not requiring its police to be beholden to the law when that is one of the foundations holding up the monopoly on violence.

      About as strange as a country not forbidding its farmers from pumping up an unusustainable amount of ground water when that is one of the foundations holding up the country’s long-term agricultural capacity.

      Which is to say, chalk it up as yet another time when liberal theory only exists to whitewash the greed and oppressiveness of the bourgeoisie.