A member of the federal railway police has been placed under an arrest warrant by the Brussels investigating judge Michel Claise on suspicion of corruption, the Brussels public prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday, confirming information from the newspaper Le Soir.
The police officer allegedly offered customs officers around one million euros to gain access to a container in the port of Antwerp, in which several hundred kilos of cocaine were hidden. The suspect saw his detention extended for a month on Monday, by decision of the council chamber.
Prolonged detention
The suspect is a member of the federal railway police working in Brussels. He and his entourage would have approached customs officers asking them to help them access a container in the port of Antwerp, according to Le Soir. This container had been sealed because it contained several hundred kilos of cocaine.
The policeman reportedly offered the customs officers around one million euros for their help. They did not let themselves be corrupted and probably gave the alert, because the policeman was arrested and questioned by the Central Office for the Suppression of Corruption (OCRC). “We can confirm that a police officer was placed under arrest warrant on September 15 on suspicion of corruption“, said Wednesday Willemien Baert, spokesperson for the Brussels public prosecutor’s office. “His detention was extended for a month by the council chamber on September 19.”