Belgium is officially investigating a case of possible interference in its national politics carried out by the Kingdom of Morocco.
A report was produced in December 2023 by the Central Office for the Repression of Corruption (OCRC), following an investigation by an RTBF documentary on alleged influence, interference and even corruption pushed by Moroccan officials in Belgium, particularly on the topic of Western Sahara, a disputed territory mostly occupied by Morocco.
This week, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed it has opened a judicial investigation into this issue at the end of March 2024, Le Soir and RTBF have reported. However, they declined to comment at this stage of the investigation, and also did not specify on which charges the investigation had been opened.
There is a possibility that the investigation has been opened on the basis of possible levers used by foreign states to influence Belgium's democracy.
At the end of March, the criminalisation of "foreign interference in a democratic process" had not come into effect yet in the Belgian Criminal Code. This new article was subsequently used by the Federal Prosecutor's Office to launch its investigation in April into Russian interference among far-right MEPs in the EU, in some cases for money.
In a bilateral meeting in April, Belgium and Morocco lauded "the momentum of their bilateral relations, highlighting their joint commitment to deepening cooperation" on issues such as trade, investments, climate change and energy.
Moroccogate?
As part of the so-called Qatargate corruption scandal, Morocco was also included among the countries who had influenced several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and their staff, alongside the governments of Qatar and Mauritania. Here too, they were accused of engaging in corruption, money laundering and organised crime.
Lead suspected and former MEP Antonio Panzeri admitted in a leaked interview that he had received cash payments from Morocco before Qatar's involvement, demonstrating the corruption scandal had begun with the North African country.
Panzeri's European Arrest Warrant in 2023 was for "intervening politically with members working at the European Parliament for the benefit of Qatar and Morocco."
