• Prison escapes. Together with the spectacular helicopter jailbreak by three men from Bruges prison, successful escapes took place at Merksplas prison and the Justice Palace in Brussels, where armed men freed three prisoners awaiting trial. Four men are still at large. Last week, Lesley Deckers, who helped organise the Bruges escape and was the only member of the group still at large, was arrested at the home of a friend in Beringen. She and the friend are being detained. One of the escaped prisoners is back in his cell in Bruges, and the two others are in prison in Morocco.

• Released prisoners. Albert Barrez left prison legally by the front door, but the timing of his release could not have been worse for De Clerck. Barrez was sentenced to 25 years in 2002 for the contract murder of government veterinary inspector Karel Van Noppen in 1995. Last month, he was released with an ankle bracelet and given a job as a warehouse assistant. Another man, Germain Daenen, who acted as a go-between in the murder, was released on parole two months ago. Two others remain in prison.

• Fortisgate. The apparent existence of backroom interference between politicians and magistrates in the Fortis case led to the resignation of De Clerck's predecessor Jo Vandeurzen and prime minister Yves Leterme. Recent revelations suggest interference may have reached as high as the top of the Cassation court, while at the same time raising new questions about the role of finance minister Didier Reynders. There have been calls for a reconvening of the Fortis commission. Meanwhile, a member of the commission, socialist deputy Renaat Landuyt, claimed that the head of the Brussels bar received threats of "severe sanctions" against him in his capacity as a lawyer. Landuyt wanted the commission to be able to interrogate the government's lawyer in the Fortis affair, but the head of the bar, Alex Tallon, refused to allow the testimony.

• New allegations. Last week it was revealed that Glenn Audenaert, head of the judicial section of the federal police, sent a letter to De Clerck last month warning of the possible involvement of a lawyer and a senior judge in a fraud scheme. The details are not clear, but the two are alleged to have colluded over rulings in an attempt to extort money out of companies involved in court proceedings. Robert Peeters, the lawyer in the case, has filed suit against persons unknown for defamation and breach of professional confidence. He also claims that Audenaert's allegations are an attempt to pay him back for a number of cases in which he has revealed the existence of hidden bank accounts containing sums of black money. The judge in the case, Francine De Tandt, meanwhile, appears to be the victim of a well-orchestrated campaign of damaging revelations which, regardless of their accuracy, seem carefully coordinated in order to do the maximum damage. De Tandt is the chair of the Brussels tribunal of commerce.