Minister Verlinden's spokesperson implicated in i-Police leak probe, opposition demands answers

Two spokespeople under suspicion

A Brussels investigating judge has placed the spokesperson of Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) and a Dutch-speaking spokesperson of the Brussels prosecutor's office under suspicion of breaching professional secrecy. De Standaard and Le Soir reported the step on 27 October 2026, and a lawyer for the minister's spokesperson confirmed it to VRT NWS. Le Soir uses the French term inculpé (charged) for the pair, while De Standaard describes them as suspects. According to Le Soir, the judge's step came some weeks before those reports, and both people are presumed innocent.

Versions differ on the direction of the contact. One account says the prosecutor's spokesperson passed confidential information about the i-Police investigation to the minister's spokesperson. Another says the minister's spokesperson tried to obtain protected information from the prosecutor's spokesperson. It is unclear whether any of it reached the minister. The lawyer for the minister's spokesperson said no criminal offences were committed, and the prosecutor's spokesperson has been suspended since June.

The minister backs her spokesperson

Verlinden is standing by her spokesperson. In a reply to De Standaard she said:

“Contact with prosecutors' spokespeople belongs to the usual tasks of the justice minister's spokesperson.”

She added that she is not aware of any information showing the spokesperson failed to carry out that task carefully and within legal limits. The Brussels prosecutor's office declined to comment when Le Soir approached it.

Opposition demands answers

Groen group leader in the Chamber Matti Vandemaele asked how much conflict of interest would be needed before Prime Minister Bart De Wever intervenes. He argued the minister had acted too late and too weakly in earlier stages, and asked why she had her spokesperson take such steps. Groen wants a real inquiry committee:

“Groen is once again pressing for a genuine inquiry committee, one that can go much further in its investigative acts than the earlier hearings held by the committee.”

PS MP Ridouane Chahid said the minister must draw her conclusions because trust in her has gone:

“Annelies Verlinden, the justice minister, cannot hide away any longer. She must urgently draw her conclusions, because trust in her is gone.”

Anders MP Arthur Orlians said the i-Police file lacks transparency and that parliament must be able to exercise oversight. He also recalled the Aalter case, in which Pieter De Crem had to resign, and noted that Verlinden had then pointed to her chief of cabinet.

The i-Police background

i-Police was a digital reform programme for local and federal police, originally budgeted at 299 million euros. Interior minister Bernard Quintin (MR) halted it in late 2025 after an evaluation, by which time 75 million of the 299 million euros had been paid to the French consultancy Sopra Steria. Sopra Steria denies that it failed to deliver substantial services. The federal police, now in a legal dispute with Sopra Steria, is claiming 244 million euros in damages. Verlinden was interior minister when the contract was awarded in 2021, and she had already faced criticism over i-Police in spring 2026.

Original project budget299

Paid to Sopra Steria75

Federal police damages claim244

Original project budget

299 EUR million

Paid to Sopra Steria

75 EUR million

Federal police damages claim

244 EUR million

Data from the article text

What comes next

The Brussels prosecutor's office opened a preliminary inquiry early in 2026 into embezzlement of tax money and conflict of interest. De Standaard reports that this has since become a full judicial investigation. The Court of Audit is expected to finish its audit of the file at the end of October 2026, and Groen is awaiting its conclusions. The milestones reported so far are set out below.