The story of protective masks in Belgium seemed incredible from the start.
When the epidemic broke out and everyone rushed in search of respirators, they simply were not there.
On the doors of pharmacies, signs "No masks" were hung.
This is despite the fact that here it seems to be the center of civilization, exemplary Europe, where everything should be, but no.
It turned out that once there were reserves.
In 2009, the country purchased 6 million FFP2 masks for avian influenza.
But their expiration date was coming to an end, so in 2017 all stocks were destroyed, and they did not buy new ones - there was no longer money for them in the budget.
The version of the interim Minister of Health Maggie de Block was even better - it was not about the expiration date, the masks were stored by the Ministry of Defense in the wrong conditions, and therefore they deteriorated, and they had to be thrown away.
And on April 24, when it was decided to make it mandatory to cover the mouth and nose in public transport, the government promised to issue free rag masks to the entire population of 11 million.
The task was entrusted to the same Ministry of Defense.
There the order was divided into two.
A contract for € 3 million was given to a Belgian firm to support the domestic manufacturer.
But € 45 million sailed to Luxembourg to the Avrox company.
At the place of its registration there was no sign, no office, one nominal mailbox and rare mentions on the network that the office rents out cars.
The company itself was born in 2017, headed by 34-year-old Jordanian millionaire Hamza Talkhuni, heir to the founder of the largest investment fund Zara Investment Holding (owns most of Jordan's five-star hotels).
Registered in Malta, has a stake in a Jordanian bank, investment funds in the Cayman Islands, a company in Panama, is in love with cinema, he has his own production studio in Beverly Hills and a luxurious villa on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea 15 km from the Palais des Festivals Cannes.
He also enjoys building yachts.
His partner, with whom he has been friends for about 20 years, Laurent Erikord, a former restaurateur from Cannes, sold the institution, took up real estate.
And the third in the boat is Brice Ernikan.
His profile states: a football agent of the Luxembourg Football Federation, general director of a rare metals company (it is in the process of liquidation), is engaged in export-import, an employee of the economic intelligence cabinet.
As this gentleman received inquiries from the surprised press, details disappeared from his profile, and finally he simply deleted the page.
Such an incredible trio received a strategic order from the Belgian Ministry of Defense for 15 million masks.
They say that they were guided by the speed of delivery, they say, these people promised to do everything quickly.
They were somehow not embarrassed that everywhere at that time there was an incredible shortage of protective equipment and no one really exported anything, trying to cover internal needs.
The logistics were incredibly complex.
In the midst of the epidemic, 13 planes had to be chartered, driven from Vietnam, packed in 13 thousand boxes, one of the liners was generally a passenger one, in which the seats were folded to place the cargo.
And naturally, delays, fines began, when at the same time the Belgian company sewed its part of the order just in time.
Why not give all the money to them, why not order from their own people, support them in a covid crisis, this question tormented many.
The Belgian Fashion Federation, offended by the Ministry of Defense, began to take revenge in June, saying that Luxembourg masks are dangerous to health, because they contain silver nanoparticles.
Avrox repulsed the attack, assuring that there were only ions in the tissue, and therefore there was no danger.
But the scandals around this order snowball.
It turned out that Avrox, without permission, drew the Oeko-Tex standart logo on the accompanying documentation for the masks for greater importance.
It is an international fabric testing and certification organization that tests and monitors the content of hazardous chemicals in textiles.
It turned out that the license indicated on the masks expired back in 2016, four years before their appearance, no one gave a new one, did not check the quality, they filed a lawsuit against Avrox for falsification.
But the Ministry of Defense continued to keep the poker face.
Further more.
The customer has established certain requirements for masks: they must be washed at 60 degrees with powder, must withstand steam from the iron and then not deteriorate, retain all protective properties for at least 25 cycles.
Such washing in hot water, according to the World Health Organization, could kill the virus.
But Avrox considered this only a recommendation, so they did the opposite.
In the instructions for their masks, it was written: "Wash without soap, with your hands, at a temperature of 30 degrees, ironing is prohibited."
After an explosion of indignation in the press, they backed down, they say, and at 60 it is possible, and powder too, and generally leave me alone.
They all made noise and swallowed.
And so the masks reached pharmacies in the summer.
We distributed about 8.5 million, the rest remained in warehouses.
More than half a year passed, almost everyone forgot about the history, when suddenly the Belgian research center Sciensano decided to return to the question of the effect of silver particles on human health.
Avrox masks were removed from the face, placed under an electron microscope and - lo and behold - not only silver ions were found there, but also its nanoparticles, and at the same time titanium dioxide.
When ingested, all of this can lead to chronic inflammation of the airways, fibrosis and the formation of cancerous tumors.
But the degree of danger and effects on the body are still poorly understood.
The 47-page report was immediately handed over to the Ministry of Health.
Avrox again began to shake on comments why hazardous substances were not listed at all in the composition.
And how did the Ministry of Defense overlook them, which, in theory, was supposed to check these masks for safety?
It turned out that their specialists simply pulled the rubber bands, made sure that they did not come off, put them on the face - you can breathe, read the data on the composition that the company sent them, and calmed down on that.
They did not double-check anything.
Some incredible recklessness, a disregard for the health of people whom they should kind of protect.
And here they are being bullied and at the same time smiling cutely in a European way.
The press was seething, why did they not give the order for sewing masks to their own, who took the money abroad, looked for connections between the Ministry of Defense and the Jordanian millionaire.
But the scandal was eventually hushed up.
The authorities issued recommendations: no longer to distribute such masks to pharmacies, people no longer wear them, it is safer to just throw them out of harm's way in the trash.
Do you think that after there were high-profile resignations, courts, demands to return € 45 million (after the fines, the amount decreased to € 32 million)?
But no.
Everyone is happy, silence.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.