The scandal that was meant to clear the European Parliament of all suspicion is reportedly turning into trench warfare between the institution and Belgian justice. Three years after Qatargate broke, the Parliament is said to be contesting how the Belgian authorities are conducting the alleged corruption investigations into MEPs. No final judgment has been handed down: those charged enjoy the presumption of innocence.

The symbol of this standoff? The fate of Philippe Noppe, head of the OCDEFO (Belgium's central office against economic and financial crime). Suspended early in the year over possible breaches of investigative secrecy in the Qatargate file, he reportedly saw that sidelining overturned: after months of proceedings, his lawyers are said to have won their case. A setback for those who saw his suspension as an admission of overreach.

😏 The cynical take
Three years after promising total transparency, the European Parliament discovers a passion for procedure: now it would no longer be corruption that's the problem, but the way the Belgian police talk about it.

From promised transparency to a trial of the method

In December 2022, the affair landed like a bombshell: searches, wads of cash, a Parliament vice-president implicated. The scandal was cast as the trigger for a great clean-up. Three years on, the narrative would have shifted angle: the institution would lament that MEPs are “sometimes unfairly splashed by premature accusations”.

President Roberta Metsola reportedly announced a revision of the cooperation rules with the Belgian police. Officially, it would be about protecting the rights of the defence and parliamentary immunity; for her critics, the risk would be to erect obstacles in the investigators' path. The Parliament, in short, would be negotiating the terms under which it may be investigated.

😏 The cynical take
“Revising the cooperation rules” is the diplomatic phrase for: the next search will have to make an appointment.

Eight charged, prosecutions maintained

On the substance, the judicial file would be moving forward. Following searches carried out on 13 March in Belgium and Portugal, an investigating judge reportedly charged eight people with active corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation. Belgian justice reportedly confirmed that these prosecutions could proceed.

Among the figures back in the file, former European commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, already the subject of a Belgian arrest warrant in the “Fight Impunity” strand. Qatargate's scope would thus go beyond the Parliament alone: it would reach an ecosystem of NGOs, former officials and alleged influence.

At this stage, no final conviction has been handed down in this strand. Those charged dispute the facts and enjoy the presumption of innocence. What remains is a political question: can an assembly, in the same breath, demand exemplarity and rein in the justice that targets it?

Key points

  • Three years after Qatargate, the European Parliament is said to contest Belgian justice's action.
  • The suspension of Philippe Noppe (OCDEFO chief) was reportedly overturned.
  • Roberta Metsola is said to be revising the cooperation rules with the Belgian police.
  • After the 13 March searches, eight people remain charged (active corruption, money laundering, criminal organisation).
  • No final conviction. Presumption of innocence.

Magouilles & Compagnie verdict

Magouille or calomnie? There are eight charges upheld, an arrest warrant and a live file; there is also an institution rewriting the rules mid-game. Holding verdict: a Parliament that called for light and would now install blinds — Belgian justice will say whether the clean-up gets done, or filed away.