At least three officers from an elite unit of the Belgian Federal Police have been suspended after participating in two unauthorised drug and alcohol-fuelled parties in which sexual acts were also allegedly performed, Belga News Agency reports.
The first party is reported to have taken place in October last year, a week after the official celebration the fiftieth anniversary of the Directorate of Special Units (Directie van de speciale eenheden, or DSU): a group which earned widespread acclaim for its dramatic arrest of convicted terrorist Salah Abdeslam in 2016. Attendees included King Philippe, as well as other dignitaries and government ministers.
After an authorised staff party, approximately twenty DSU members relocated to Block H of the barracks of the Federal Police in Etterbeek. There, significant quantities of alcohol were consumed, and one man was filmed walking naked through the building's corridors.
The same man is reported to have had off-camera sex with a female staff member. Het Nieuwsblad and the Gazet van Antwerpen both cite an anonymous "good source" who alleges that drugs were also used.
Unlawful libations
The second party, which took place in early February, was also held at the Etterbeek barracks. It similarly featured people walking naked around the building, as well as a threesome involving two men and a female staff member.
An internal police inquiry published on 17 March noted that the parties' "participants could be identified with certainty". Both Het Nieuwsblad and the Gazet van Antwerpen have reported that three officers have since been suspended, although the Federal Police has yet to confirm this fact. A disciplinary investigation is also believed to have been conducted against other participants.
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The General Inspectorate (Algemene Inspectie, AIG) — the government body tasked with investigating police misconduct — is now in the process of determining whether any criminal acts occurred over the course of the two parties.
Following an inquiry by Het Nieuwsblad and the Gazet van Antwerpen, the Federal Police issued the following response via email: "The Federal Police has informed the Prosecutor's Office of possible criminal offences, and has taken appropriate internal measures. Out of respect for the secrecy of the investigation, we will not go into this further."
