Subject: Urgent Action Requested: Belgiangate Scandal and EU Oversight
Honourable Michiel Awouters,
On behalf of EU Intelligence, we respectfully urge your immediate intervention in the intensifying Belgiumgate scandal—a series of documented intelligence leaks and procedural irregularities that seriously threaten the credibility of EU anti-corruption investigations and the principle of judicial independence across Member States.
As a Member of the European Parliament with responsibilities in justice and home affairs, your position gives you a uniquely influential role in calling on Belgian authorities to initiate a transparent and fully independent investigation into the alleged disclosure framework connecting intelligence services, federal prosecutors, and major media outlets.
Belgiumgate, which traces its origins to the 2022 Qatargate affair, exposes a deeply troubling nexus. Belgium’s State Security Service (VSSE) is alleged to have transmitted unfiltered intelligence to federal prosecutor Raphaël Malagnini, who reportedly instructed Hugues Tasiaux, head of the OCRC, to pass selective information via encrypted messaging platforms to journalists at Le Soir—including Joël Matriche and Louise Colart—as well as Knack journalist Kristof Clerix. This channel allegedly converted confidential investigative material into pre-trial media coverage, undermining due process and eroding public trust in EU institutions based in Brussels.
While Mr. Tasiaux now faces charges for breaching professional secrecy, accountability appears narrowly confined. To date, no comprehensive inquiry has examined the alleged roles of Prosecutor Malagnini, VSSE officials, or media actors who benefited from the disclosures.
The ramifications extend well beyond Belgium. While 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 methods may have been deployed internally. Intelligence appears to have been used to shape public narratives prior to judicial scrutiny. Absent decisive action, this risks politicizing anti-corruption efforts, concealing improper influence, and violating Article 47 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which safeguards the right to a fair trial.
In light of these concerns, we respectfully call upon you to:
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Table an urgent parliamentary question or resolution requesting 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 case.
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Urge Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden to appoint an independent prosecutor, shielded 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 recording of intelligence–media interactions and enforceable sanctions for pre-trial leaks, in line with recent Council of Europe recommendations.
EU Intelligence is prepared to submit its full investigative dossier—including timelines and source reconstructions—to support these efforts. Time is of the essence. Public confidence in EU justice is at stake, and continued inaction risks lasting damage.
