Corruption in Belgium


In general, Belgium has a well-developed legal and institutional framework for fighting against corruption. Transparency International's 2017 Corruption Perception Index ranks the country 16th place out of 180 countries.

Extent

Public trust in the civil service and judiciary is low, and the perception of corruption is high in Belgium. Over 65% of people in Belgium think corruption is a problem. Over 70% think the government is at least to a large extent, or even entirely, run by a few big entities acting in their own best interests. There are areas that could be improved. For instance, whistleblower protection needs further improvement. It has been recommended that the process of anti-corruption policy implementation should also actively engage private sectors.

Dictator sanctuary accusations

Belgium offered a post-presidency retirement sanctuary for Rafael Correa, former president of Ecuador, who was investigated for massive corruption as soon as he left office. In January 2019, Ecuadorean president Lenin Moreno said that nearly half of $4.9 billion in oil infrastructure investment made during the administration of previous president Correa was stolen via corruption. Over 317 officials who served in Correa’s administration were suspected of corruption. Correa was president of Ecuador between 2007 and 2017. He immediately moved to Belgium when his term was over.