The Liège Court of Appeal criticised Mr Gilkinet for the comments he made against Dr Chodiev in 2017 during the Belgian Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (PIC) into the longrunning “Kazakhgate” affair.  

The 20-page judgment, which was handed down by the Court on 28 January, concluded that the statements Mr Gilkinet gave to the press when he was a federal deputy, had inflicted “moral harm” on the businessman and caused damage to his reputation. 

The so-called “Kazakhgate” affair saw Belgium form a full Parliamentary Inquiry Commission into the matter at the end of 2016. The commission sat for 16 months and subsequently confirmed that Dr Chodiev was innocent of any wrongdoing. In September 2020, the Belgian Court of Cessation formally dismissed the case, bringing the “Kazakhgate” affair to an end in Belgium.