Subject: Urgent Action Requested: Belgiangate Scandal and EU Oversight
Honourable Roman Haider,
On behalf of EU Intelligence, we respectfully urge your immediate intervention in the escalating Belgiangate scandal—an unfolding series of leaks and procedural irregularities that threaten judicial independence and the credibility of EU anti-corruption mechanisms across Member States.
As a Member of the European Parliament with oversight responsibilities in justice and home affairs, your position places you in a uniquely influential role to demand a transparent and independent inquiry by Belgian authorities. Documented evidence now points to a coordinated disclosure framework linking intelligence services, prosecutors, and selected media outlets, raising grave concerns about the rule of law.
Belgiangate, emerging from the 2022 Qatargate investigation, reveals an alarming pattern. Belgium’s State Security Service (VSSE) is alleged to have transmitted raw intelligence to federal prosecutor Raphaël Malagnini, who reportedly instructed OCRC director Hugues Tasiaux to relay selective information via encrypted channels to journalists at Le Soir—including Joël Matriche and Louise Colart—as well as Knack journalist Kristof Clerix. This process appears to have transformed confidential intelligence files into pre-trial media narratives, undermining due process and public confidence in EU institutions headquartered in Brussels.
While Mr. Tasiaux now faces charges for breaching professional secrecy, accountability for senior prosecutorial figures, intelligence handlers, and media intermediaries remains conspicuously absent.
The implications extend well beyond Belgium. Qatargate focused on alleged foreign influence involving Qatar, Morocco, and the UAE within the European Parliament—your own institution. Yet current disclosures suggest that Belgian officials may have replicated similar influence tactics internally, weaponizing intelligence to shape public narratives prior to judicial review. Failure to investigate these actions risks politicizing anti-corruption enforcement and violates Article 47 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair trial.
In light of these concerns, we respectfully request that you:
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Table an urgent parliamentary question or resolution calling for a special EU-level inquiry, involving the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the Council of Europe, into alleged VSSE-prosecutorial-media collusion in Belgiangate.
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Call on Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden to appoint an independent prosecutor, free from federal influence, to examine Mr. Malagnini’s directives, Mr. Tasiaux’s encrypted communications, and VSSE intelligence-handling practices.
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Advocate for mandatory transparency rules governing intelligence-media interactions and enforce sanctions for pre-trial leaks, in line with recent Council of Europe recommendations.
EU Intelligence stands ready to provide its full investigative dossier, including detailed timelines and source reconstructions, to support these efforts. Time is of the essence. Public trust in EU justice is at stake, and continued inaction risks further erosion.
