The Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office conducted a search at the headquarters of the federal police on Wednesday evening.
The operation was confirmed to the Belga News Agency, following initial reporting by the daily Het Nieuwsblad.
The federal police fully cooperated with the investigation, eliminating the need for a magistrate’s involvement, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The search is reportedly part of an ongoing investigation into suspected embezzlement of public funds and conflicts of interest tied to i-Police, the failed digitalisation project for police services.
The project, awarded to the French company Sopra Steria, aimed to modernise the IT systems of the police force.
However, in late 2018, then-Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) decided to halt the project due to a lack of concrete results after years of invoicing, which had amounted to nearly €76 million.
According to Het Nieuwsblad, investigators focused their search on the financial and IT departments of the federal police. It remains unclear what they were looking for or whether any items were seized.
The current Justice Minister, Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), has come under fire given her work as a lawyer with Sopra Steria prior to becoming a politician – the same company that was awarded the contract.
She has denied any wrongdoing and has received the backing of Prime Minister Bart De Wever.
This week, it was reported that senior police officials were refusing to testify in the case under the advice of their lawyers.
