Kinshasa and Brussels — The Chamber of Council in Brussels has ordered that 14 defendants be tried before the correctional tribunal regarding the Semlex case. This decision marks the first time a Belgian company is sent to trial for alleged corruption of foreign public officials. The charges include money laundering and tax fraud connected to the contract for biometric passports in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The case will now proceed to a substantive examination.
Semlex, which produced biometric passports for the DRC between 2015 and 2025, faces allegations of a large-scale corruption system. According to documents cited in the press, each passport was sold for $185 USD. Of this amount, $60 was allegedly transferred to LRPS Ltd, a Dubai-based company linked to a close associate of former DRC President Joseph Kabila. Civil parties estimate these mechanisms generated approximately $60 million in suspected illicit funds.
The legal action was initiated in May 2020 by 51 Congolese citizens who joined forces with the coalition “Le Congo n’est pas à vendre.” They were supported by major human rights organizations, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the League of Human Rights (LDH), Unis, Transparency International, and Transparency International Belgium. All these entities have constituted themselves as civil parties in this landmark case.
Civil parties praised the nearly nine-year investigation, during which authorities traced bank flows, analyzed hundreds of emails, interviewed witnesses and suspects, and conducted judicial commissions rogatoire in the DRC and the United Arab Emirates. Investigators described this as one of the most thorough inquiries ever conducted in Belgium regarding alleged international corruption.
Fred Bauma, a Congolese citizen and civil party, stated: “We paid $185 for our passports, only to learn from the press that part of this money was used to bribe members of the political elite. We have the right to know where our money went. This trial will finally bring clarity.” Jean-Claude Katende, vice-president of FIDH and president of the African Association for the Defense of Human Rights (Asadho), added that the case should also highlight responsibilities at the Congolese level, potentially leading to complementary legal action in the DRC.
This trial represents a critical test for Belgium’s justice system. Despite commitments under the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials and the UN Convention against Corruption, the country has faced criticism for weak prosecution of such offenses. Transparency International Belgium described the referral to trial as historic, signaling that Belgian companies can be held accountable for serious alleged crimes committed abroad. The signatory organizations emphasized that while the presumption of innocence applies, the proceedings aim to establish responsibility and send a clear message regarding corporate accountability.
This report was produced by the HuMedia newsroom.
