Brussels - Three prisoners liberated from Court

BRUSSELS — Belgian authorities were chasing three more escaped prisoners on Tuesday, bringing the total to 12 over the past two weeks.

The ongoing news of escapes has heaped embarrassment on the government, which claims its plans to better secure key jails and courthouses have been held back by budget constraints and administrative burdens.

The justice ministry says the three escaped early Tuesday from the sprawling Palace of Justice courthouse in central Brussels when two armed men burst into a court hearing and took them with them.

Two weeks ago, three convicts broke out of a high-security prison near Bruges when a helicopter flew into the compound to take them away. Last week, six prisoners escaped from a prison near the port city of Antwerp by scaling the wall with a ladder.

In all, five of the escaped inmates have been caught again, but seven remain at large.

There have been plans to put nets over exercise yards to make it impossible for helicopters to land, but implementation has been slow.

3.08.2009