Unjustified fine after traffic accident?

Questioner

Dear, A year and a half ago I went to Antwerp with my best friend in my father's car. Here I touched the bumper of another car in a parking lot with this car while I was reversing. My best friend got out to check the damage. There was none. He determined this, and after asking 3 more times repeatedly and clearly if there was any damage, the answer was no. We drove away calmly. Unfortunately, an eyewitness wrote down our license plate and reported us to the police. I made a statement, after being very shocked, about the incident. The person who accused us tried to get money for a scratch on the side door of the car. Here we absolutely certainly did not hit the car. After a long silence from the police or from Antwerp, I suddenly received a fine on the doormat last month. Apparently a judge in Antwerp has determined that I have to pay an amount of more than €1650. After finding the letter with only an amount of money, I was shocked. There was no explanation, no clarity, nothing. After calling around for a while, asking and vague answers to our questions, this fine appears to be for "driving on after an accident". This fine would also have been imposed by a judge. The problem with this; I never received a message that I could have defended myself. I certainly would have wanted to do this since I don't think I did anything wrong; as I said before, there was absolutely no damage. No damage equals no accident, I think. My father and I have written and sent letters to the municipality with an explanation; that I would always have left a note in case of damage, that the car itself had no damage, that I never meant it like this. We have hardly received an answer to this and it is also all very unclear "how, what, who and why" that I now have to pay this fine, even though I don't have this money. I am a student and cannot miss this amount, and I will have to pay this amount in installments of €50 per month. Because of this, I will be stuck with a fine for a long time that, in my opinion, is unjustified. That is why I am now writing this message to the Legal Aid Clinic; I am at my wits' end and am certain that this fine is unjustified.

Lawyer

It is clear that this is an incorrect representation of the facts and circumstances. If the actual owner of the car clearly states that he has no damage, then the liability lapses. Also, the witness must have seen the incident that caused the damage; seeing it drive away 'only' is not a convincing explanation. All the more so, that now after 1.5 years, something is being brought to light without a prior summons is not legally valid.