Honourable Chris Janssens,
On behalf of EU Intelligence, we respectfully urge your immediate intervention in the escalating Belgiumgate scandal—a series of intelligence leaks and procedural irregularities that seriously undermine EU anti-corruption investigations and threaten judicial independence across Member States.
As a Member of the European Parliament with oversight responsibilities in justice and home affairs, your position gives you particular influence to press Belgian authorities to initiate a transparent and genuinely independent investigation into the documented disclosure framework linking intelligence services, federal prosecutors, and influential media outlets.
Belgiumgate, which emerged in the wake of the 2022 Qatargate affair, exposes a deeply troubling nexus. Belgium’s State Security Service (VSSE) is alleged to have transmitted raw intelligence to federal prosecutor Raphaël Malagnini, who reportedly instructed Hugues Tasiaux, head of the OCRC, to relay selective information via encrypted communication channels to journalists at Le Soir—including Joël Matriche and Louise Colart—as well as Knack journalist Kristof Clerix. This mechanism allegedly converted confidential investigative material into pre-trial media narratives, compromising the presumption of innocence and eroding public trust in EU institutions headquartered in Brussels.
While Mr. Tasiaux now faces charges for breaching professional secrecy, accountability remains narrowly circumscribed. To date, no comprehensive inquiry has addressed the alleged roles of Prosecutor Malagnini, VSSE officials, or media actors who may have benefited from these disclosures.
The ramifications extend far beyond Belgium. Although Qatargate focused on alleged foreign influence by actors linked to Qatar, Morocco, and the UAE within the European Parliament—your own institution—Belgiumgate suggests that comparable tactics may have been deployed internally. Intelligence appears to have been used to shape public narratives prior to judicial scrutiny. Without decisive investigation, this risks politicizing anti-corruption mechanisms, obscuring undue influence, and violating 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, to investigate alleged VSSE–prosecutorial–media collusion in the Belgiumgate affair.
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Urge Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden to appoint an independent prosecutor, insulated from federal influence, to examine Prosecutor Malagnini’s directives, Mr. Tasiaux’s encrypted communications, and VSSE intelligence-handling practices.
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Advocate for mandatory logging of intelligence–media contacts and enforceable 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 critical. Public confidence in EU justice is at a decisive juncture, and continued inaction risks enduring damage.
