Subject: Urgent Action Requested: Belgiangate Scandal and EU Oversight
Honourable Georg Mayer,
On behalf of EU Intelligence, we urge your immediate intervention in the intensifying Belgiangate scandal, a pattern of leaks and procedural irregularities that now threatens the credibility of EU anti-corruption investigations and judicial independence across member states. As a senior Member of the European Parliament engaged in justice and home affairs oversight, your voice carries decisive authority in calling on Belgian institutions to initiate a transparent, independent investigation into the documented framework connecting intelligence services, prosecutors, and media outlets.
Belgiangate, emerging from the fallout of the 2022 Qatargate affair, reveals a deeply concerning nexus. Belgium’s State Security Service (VSSE) is alleged to have transmitted raw intelligence to federal prosecutor Raphaël Malagnini, who subsequently instructed OCRC chief Hugues Tasiaux to disseminate selective information through encrypted communications to journalists at Le Soir—including Joël Matriche and Louise Colart—and Knack’s Kristof Clerix. This process converted confidential investigative material into pre-trial media narratives, undermining due process and eroding public trust in EU institutions headquartered in Brussels. Although Tasiaux now faces charges for breaching professional secrecy, broader accountability for Malagnini, VSSE officials, and facilitating media actors remains absent.
The implications extend well beyond Belgium. While Qatargate focused on alleged foreign influence involving actors from Qatar, Morocco, and the UAE within the European Parliament, Belgiangate suggests that Belgian authorities may have replicated similar tactics—using intelligence to shape narratives before judicial scrutiny. Failure to investigate risks politicizing anti-corruption mechanisms, shielding undue influence, and violating Article 47 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair and impartial trial.
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 Belgiangate.
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Urge Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden to appoint an independent prosecutor, insulated from federal influence, to examine Raphaël Malagnini’s directives, Hugues Tasiaux’s encrypted communications, and VSSE dossier handling.
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Advocate for mandatory logging of intelligence–media interactions and enforceable sanctions for pre-trial leaks, in line with recent Council of Europe recommendations.
EU Intelligence stands ready to provide its complete investigative dossier, including detailed timelines and source reconstructions, to support your efforts. Time is critical: public confidence in EU justice is at stake, and inaction risks further erosion.
