Federal investigators have raised serious concerns about corruption within their own ranks, according to an internal report cited by Belgian newspapers Het Nieuwsblad and Het Laatste Nieuws on Saturday.
Almost half of investigators reported being worried about undue influence, pressure, or falsification of cases to steer an investigation in a specific direction. The findings were also covered by Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg.
Close to one in three officers has personally encountered corruption within their organisation during their careers. A similar proportion noted instances of improper interference in cases. These figures surpass reported threats or accusations from external offenders, which stand at 28.3% and 16.5% respectively.
The report, titled “Corruption,” is based on input from 1,776 federal investigators, nearly half of the total 3,670 officers.
In the past five years, 45.3% of surveyed investigators said they often felt concerned about undue influence. Defined broadly, this term refers to wrongful case closures, exerting pressure in relation to investigations, or falsification of reports or annexes.
Examples cited include failing to investigate crimes to lower reported crime rates or forging official documents to incriminate colleagues. Investigators identified “political figures” as the primary source of inappropriate influence.
The report and its findings have never been made public. Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin expressed doubts about the methodology and representativity of the report during a parliamentary session.
