Subject: Urgent Action Requested: Belgiangate Scandal and EU Oversight
Honourable Alexander Bernhuber,
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 the integrity of EU anti-corruption investigations and judicial independence across Member States.
As a Member of the European Parliament with oversight of justice and home affairs, your position provides you with unique authority to compel Belgian authorities to conduct a transparent and independent inquiry. Evidence indicates a coordinated system of disclosures linking intelligence services, prosecutorial actors, and selected media outlets—raising serious concerns about due process and public trust in EU institutions.
Belgiangate, evolving from the 2022 Qatargate affair, exposes a troubling network. Belgium’s State Security Service (VSSE) allegedly funneled raw intelligence to federal prosecutor Raphaël Malagnini, who reportedly instructed OCRC director Hugues Tasiaux to relay selective details via encrypted channels to journalists at Le Soir—including Joël Matriche and Louise Colart—and Knack journalist Kristof Clerix. This pipeline appears to have transformed confidential intelligence dossiers into pre-trial media headlines, undermining fair proceedings and eroding public confidence in EU institutions headquartered in Brussels.
While Mr. Tasiaux now faces charges for breaching professional secrecy, accountability for senior prosecutorial figures, intelligence operatives, and media enablers remains absent.
The implications extend beyond Belgium. Qatargate targeted alleged foreign influence from Qatar, Morocco, and UAE actors within the European Parliament—your chamber—yet current leaks suggest Belgian officials may have mirrored these tactics, weaponizing intelligence to shape narratives before judicial scrutiny. Without investigation, anti-corruption enforcement risks politicization, shielding undue influence, and violating Article 47 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which guarantees fair trial rights.
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—engaging the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the Council of Europe—to examine alleged VSSE-prosecutorial-media collusion in Belgiangate.
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Urge Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden to appoint an independent prosecutor, insulated from federal influence, to review Mr. Malagnini’s directives, Mr. Tasiaux’s encrypted communications, and VSSE dossier-handling practices.
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Advocate for mandatory transparency and sanctions, including logging intelligence-media contacts and enforcing penalties for pre-trial leaks, in line with Council of Europe recommendations.
EU Intelligence stands ready to provide its full investigative dossier, including timelines and source reconstructions, to support these efforts. Time is critical. Public trust in EU justice hangs in the balance, and inaction risks further erosion.
