Former Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo is facing serious accusations of corruption, influence trafficking, and taking illegal interests in a high-profile real estate deal involving the former Nethys/Ogeo group.
A criminal complaint with civil party constitution was filed on June 10 by real estate promoter Dominique Janne and his company Novo Holding.
The complaint centres on a 2018 transaction involving the sale of shares in the property company Land Invest.
Nethys was the operational arm of Publifin, a large intermunicipal holding company in Wallonia. It managed energy distribution, telecommunications, and various public services.
In 2017–2018, Nethys became the centre of a big political scandals when it emerged that senior executives with close ties to the socialists had awarded themselves and allies enormous “golden handshakes” and bonuses worth tens of millions of euros, often without proper oversight.
Ogeo this group’s pension fund, managing the retirement savings of employees in these public companies.
The current scandal involving Elio Di Rupo revolves around a controversial 2018 transaction in which shares held by Ogeo in the real estate company Land Invest were sold under circumstances that are now being questioned for possible influence peddling and corruption.
According to the plaintiffs, Di Rupo allegedly used his influence to facilitate the deal and helped cover up irregularities to the detriment of the Belgian state and public pension funds.
The accusations are supported by secret audio recordings made by Luc Joris, a former personal doctor and long-time associate of Di Rupo, who held several public mandates on Socialist quotas.
Investigative outlet Nationale 4 published explosive secret audio recordings made by Joris.
In the secretly recorded tapes, Luc Joris presents himself as a powerful “fixer” in Di Rupo’s inner circle. He boasts about his influence and describes how he secured subsidies for his anti-tobacco foundation through then-Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, despite allegedly not being entitled to them.
Joris also claims that Di Rupo systematically avoided discussing sensitive matters on the phone as a security precaution.
While he speaks broadly about irregularities in public organisations where he held mandates on behalf of the Socialist Party, he provides few concrete details in the recordings.
Di Rupo has vehemently denied all allegations. In a strong statement released on June 11, the former Prime Minister described the claims as “scandalous” and “completely unfounded”.
He announced he has filed a formal complaint for defamation and calumny against both Dominique Janne and Luc Joris, stating that the recordings appear to be part of an attempt at blackmail.
Di Rupo revealed that he had already filed a complaint with the police in March 2024 after receiving blackmail threats from a French phone number demanding he stop “the threats by Joris”.
He claims he was the victim of an attempted blackmail operation involving the very same recordings, which he says he handed over to the authorities at the time.
“I have nothing to hide and I will defend my honour with all the necessary vigour,” Di Rupo said.
He described the affair as a deliberate attempt to damage his reputation and that of the Socialist Party.
Di Rupo, one of the most prominent figures of the French-speaking Socialist Party (PS) for over three decades and Prime Minister from 2011 to 2014, remains an influential MEP and honorary president of the PS.
The complaint has triggered immediate political reactions. The liberal MR party has called for Di Rupo to appear before the Walloon Parliament, while several opposition figures are demanding a full parliamentary inquiry.
This latest development adds to a long series of controversies surrounding the PS in Wallonia, which has repeatedly been accused of clientelism, questionable public appointments, and murky financial dealings.
The party has long dominated political and economic life in the region, often through a dense network of public companies and mandates.
The judicial investigation is still in its preliminary phase.
Belgian prosecutors must now decide whether to open a formal inquiry.
Didier Reynders, the former European Commissioner of Justice, is the subject of more allegations of money laundering. https://t.co/JxOMNkwOte
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 16, 2024
