Hugues Tasiaux, former head of the Central Office for the Suppression of Corruption (OCRC), has been charged with "breach of professional secrecy", La Libre reported on Friday.
Hugues Tasiaux’s office and home were searched on 6 February by the AIG (General Inspectorate of the Police). Deprived of his liberty and questioned, the head of the federal police’s anti-corruption office was then released without charge.
This intervention was carried out following a complaint filed by former socialist MP Marie Arena and her son Ugo Lemaire for "breach of professional secrecy".
Information relating to sensitive cases had been widely leaked to the press. Firstly, about the corruption scandal in the European Parliament, known as Qatargate, in the first case, and international cannabis trafficking in the second.
The former MEP from the Socialist Party is currently charged with participation in a "criminal organisation", but has not been charged for corruption or misuse of public funds.
The OCRC has had serious internal crisis for over a year. Anti-corruption police officers, responsible for investigations such as the Nethys affair and Kazakhgate, have denounced the growing pressure exerted on them by their superiors and the political sphere.
On Thursday, the Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the indictment of Hugues Tasiaux.
According to La Libre, the ongoing investigation does not only concern leaks in the Qatargate case, but has been extended to other cases.
Hugues Tasiaux was acting head of the OCRC for eight years. He was replaced by Commissioner Jurgen Van den Eynde last spring.
