Belgian court orders trial for corruption, money laundering linked to Congo passport deal

The civil parties, including 51 Congolese citizens and anti-corruption groups who filed a suit in 2020 to join an ​ongoing criminal investigation, said the decision by Brussels' Council Chamber on Monday would lead to the first ⁠trial of a Belgian company over alleged bribery of foreign public officials.

A Brussels court has ordered Belgian biometrics company Semlex and 13 other defendants to stand trial over alleged corruption, money laundering and tax fraud linked to a contract to produce passports in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the civil parties involved in the case said.

The civil parties, who did not name defendants other than Semlex, said the referral to court marked a significant step for the Belgian justice system, which they said had previously failed to enforce anti-bribery laws sufficiently.