A Belgian judge has published an open letter arguing that Belgium is “become a narco-state” and calling for urgent action from the Federal Government to address the issue.
In the letter, which was published on the website of the Courts and Tribunals of Belgium, the anonymous investigating judge says: “Extensive mafia structures have taken hold, becoming a parallel force that challenges not only the police, but also the judiciary.
“The consequences are serious: are we evolving into a narco-state? No way, do you think? Overblown? According to our drug commissioner, this evolution has begun. My colleagues and I share this sentiment.”
The judge, who sits in a court in Antwerp, argues that a narco-state is “characterised by an illegal economy, corruption and violence” and goes on to give examples of where these conditions have taken hold in Belgium.
“Criminal organisations are buying the cooperation of port workers or threatening them with it. Moving a container, a 10-minute job, earns €100,000, and moving a sports bag costs €50,000—sometimes times 20. This bribery is permeating our institutions from the ground up,” they write.
“These criminal organisations use violence to order, ranging from murder, torture, and kidnapping to threats and attacks, sometimes targeting innocent civilians, to maintain their power and eliminate rivals."
Attacks on the judiciary
According to the judge, the Belgian judiciary is the subject of threats and intimidation by criminal organisations. The letter writer claims to have spent four months in hiding after receiving threats from the criminal underworld.
“Several investigating judges have had to live under permanent police protection for extended periods due to an imminent, tangible threat to their person, their family, and their home," they write. "I myself spent four months in a safe house. Under those circumstances, no government contacts us, no actively offers support, no compensation, no shelter for family and colleagues, no insurance for all damages. And then you just pick up where you left off.”
The letter, which is addressed to the justice select committee, ends with a plea to the Federal Government to take action to address the problem. “This isn't a complaint, nor are we asking for applause or praise,” writes the judge. “We're asking for a government that takes responsibility for protecting its own foundations.
“The rule of law is not an abstract concept. It consists of people—magistrates, police officers, prison guards - who do their work with conviction, but who are entitled to a government that supports them. We urge you to make this fight a structural priority. Not temporary, not project-based, but sustainable and systemic."
Government response
Belgian justice minister Annelies Verlinden (Flemish Christian Democrat) told VRT she “understands the investigating judge's serious concerns” and said “further measures to increase the level of security for justice department workers” were in the pipeline.
“The delivery of justice in Belgium is in the public domain, but we are working on removing data from the national register, signatures and names from what is made public. Changes to the digitisation of the justice system are being worked out. This also applies to prison staff,” she said.
Related News
- Everything we know about the Louvre jewellery heist
- Police conduct sweeping operation in Flemish Brabant
- Injured man detained in Ixelles after two police operations
- Antwerp court upholds detention of two suspects in foiled terrorist plot
- Former police officer avoids prison after raping a young woman
