The Minister of Justice of Belgium noted that the cooperation with the European Parliament so far has mainly concerned security
The size of the investigation into the allegations surrounding Qatargate is unique and is usually seen in major organized crime investigations, Belgium’s justice minister said.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Vincent van Quickenborn said the investigation, led by Belgium’s federal prosecutor, involved “interference by state actors at the heart of our European democracy” on a scale Belgium had never seen before. He added that what is included in the case must be proven.
The magnitude of the probe into allegations of bribery involving members of the European parliament is of a scale usually seen in major investigations into organized crime, said Belgium’s justice minister https://t.co/sOdlFva4KP
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) December 28, 2022
“We know cases of intervention by state actors who try to intervene in our democratic system. And also organized crime,” Belgium’s justice minister told the FT. “But in fact, bribing members of a parliament, especially the European Parliament, is something completely unique” for Belgium’s competent agencies, he noted.
As he pointed out, the current corruption investigation showed that Belgium, which hosts many EU institutions as well as NATO, does not give “free rein” to alleged criminals. “For us, preserving the rule of law is the most important thing,” he said, adding that this meant the investigation should continue without any interference from the Belgian government.
The Minister of Justice of Belgium noted that the cooperation with the European Parliament so far concerned mainly safety, particularly after the 2016 terrorist attacks on Brussels airport and a metro station. “Now we will have to insure ourselves against organized crime and interventions through bribery,” he added. He said, finally, that “we have provided all possible means and required personnel for the case.”
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