Belgium’s top prosecutor calls for more resources to tackle international corruption
Belgium’s federal prosecutor Ann Fransen has urged the government to provide more staff and funding to deal with international corruption cases, warning that under-resourcing is undermining justice. She made the remarks in an interview with investigative outlet Follow the Money.
Fransen, who has led the federal prosecutor’s office since 2024, oversees some of Belgium’s most sensitive cases, including probes into alleged foreign bribery of European Parliament members in the Qatargate affair, lobbying activities linked to Chinese technology giant Huawei, and suspected corruption within NATO’s procurement agency. Despite these major cases, Fransen said that only three magistrates currently deal with corruption alongside other organised crime.
Belgium has faced mounting international criticism over its weak enforcement of anti-corruption legislation. Earlier this year, the OECD urged the country to provide prosecutors with the necessary human, financial and technical resources to prosecute foreign bribery. In July, European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi also warned that her office's work in Belgium was also being hampered by a lack of capacity.
Fransen added that complex cases often involve issues of immunity for officials and require closer collaboration between prosecutors, the police, and judges. Although Belgium’s Interior minister Bernard Quintin (MR) has said that fighting fraud and corruption is a priority, no concrete measures have been announced.
© BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS
Related News
