Former Belgian Socialist Party President and current Member of the European Parliament, Elio Di Rupo, denies any involvement in corruption and plans to file a defamation suit against Dominique Janne and Luc Joris, he said in a statement on Thursday.
NOVO Holding and its CEO Dominique Janne had filed a criminal complaint against Elio Di Rupo and an unidentified party, alleging corruption, influence peddling, and conflicts of interest linked to the sale of Ogeo Fund’s shares in the Land Invest company in 2018.
NOVO claims to possess confidential recordings made by Luc Joris, a close associate of Di Rupo, suggesting that the forced sale of Ogeo’s shares to the Cavens Group and Immobel was primarily aimed at enabling Joris to obtain €2 million from a corrupt scheme allegedly carried out within Belgian railway operator SNCB, in which Joris held an administrative role, appointed by Di Rupo.
The company further alleges that Joris received €350,000 to pressure Ogeo leaders into selling the shares. It also claims statements by Joris indicate that Di Rupo himself orchestrated the operation while heading the Socialist Party, thereby “covering a major act of corruption within the SNCB to the detriment of the Belgian state.”
The company and its CEO claim significant losses from being excluded from the sale of Ogeo’s Land Invest shares. They contend that since 2020, Socialist leaders at Ogeo have attempted to suppress NOVO’s legitimate claims by agreeing to arbitration limited solely to the issue of a negotiation exclusivity clause sought by NOVO.
In light of these grievances, NOVO Holding confirms it has lodged its complaint against Di Rupo and an unidentified third party for corruption, influence peddling, and conflicts of interest.
