Report highlights concerns over corruption in federal judicial police
Federal judicial police officers are very concerned about corruption within their own services, according to an internal investigation reported by Het Nieuwsblad and Le Soir.
Almost one in three officers has witnessed corruption or interference in a case during their career, the newspapers report on Saturday.
A total of 1,776 of the 3,670 federal investigators contributed to the inquiry, which began in 2021. Almost half (45.3 per cent) said they had often been concerned about undue influence in the last five years. This covers “the unlawful closure of a case, exerting pressure in the context of a case or falsifying attachments”.
Respondents gave examples, such as officers not investigating offences in order to create a lower crime rate or falsifying a public document to accuse colleagues. According to the officers, “political figures” are most responsible for undue influence.
Methodology questioned
The report’s findings were submitted to the department’s management in the summer, as well as to the commissioner general of the federal police, Eric Snoeck. The results were not made public.
Home Affairs minister Bernard Quintin of MR told parliament he had doubts about the investigation's methodology and representativeness. Both the police and the minister indicate that an audit procedure must be carried out on the methodology used, Le Soir reports.
"This is a dangerous democratic problem"
Opposition party Groen is calling for hearings with Quintin and senior police officials, with a possible inquiry into the issue.
“The voluminous report leaves no room for doubt: some of our officers are being manipulated and have far too little awareness of what is and is not acceptable,” MP Matti Vandemaele said.
“This is a dangerous democratic problem: if your police services rot, then the foundations of the rule of law and democracy are undermined.”
The federal judicial police are the specialised criminal investigators of the Federal Police, focusing on serious and complex crime and working directly for the judicial system.
Chair Pascal Petry, Home Affairs minister Bernard Quintin and federal judicial police director general Eric Snoeck after a meeting of the National Security Council in Brussels, November 2025 © BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE
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