At least 12 current or former Belgian honorary consuls have been publicly accused of wrongdoing or embroiled in controversy, a new investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has revealed.
The Panama Papers, for example, revealed that various Belgian honorary consuls possessed offshore companies. One of whom was appointed honorary consul after his name appeared in the Panama Papers leak.
One Danish businessman, who has been honorary consul for Belgium since 2013, is cited in the investigation due to his continued activities in Russia. The honorary consul of the Australian island of Tasmania manages “several Congolese logging companies that do not take logging rules and human rights very seriously,” says Apache, a Flemish-language media publication, which is a member of the ICIJ.
Another was involved in cocaine trafficking between Suriname and Europe, various Belgian newspapers reAport.
Corrupted reputations
In response to the findings, Joris Salden, Director General of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for caution. “In individual cases, I can’t comment. But a reputation is fragile. Just because there’s an allegation somewhere on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs only dismisses honorary consuls when they have been criminally convicted, in line with a 2016 Royal Decree which states that honorary consuls must be of “irreproachable conduct and enjoy an honourable reputation.”
According to the Belgian ICIJ members (Knack, De Tijd, Le Soir), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs often deals with the allegations against its consuls “diplomatically”, often by simply losing the consulate and protecting the person concerned.
Several scandals including honorary consuls have already made the headlines, before the enforcement of the 2016 Royal Decree.
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The honorary consul of Belgium in Zurich was fired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the end of 2013 for having reportedly received bribes for the construction of an incinerator in Wallonia. The Liège court of appeals convicted him of corruption in 2019.
There to help
Belgium has a total of 276 honorary consuls in 111 countries. These are volunteer diplomats, who provide assistance to Belgians, for example, in the event of theft, accident, or death. They live within their host country and exercise their own profession.
The ICIJ investigation implicates 500 honorary consuls globally, 12 of which are Belgian.
A similar investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed that dozens of Belgian drug dealers, wanted criminals, and gang members were living in Dubai in “undisturbed luxury” despite having committed often violent crimes in Belgium.
