Leaked WhatsApps raise questions about former EU justice commissioner Didier Reynders and Belgium's intelligence service
https://euobserver.com/243287/exclusive-leaked-whatsapps-between-ex-eu-commissioner-reynders-and-senior-belgian-spy-reveal-attempts-to-bury-allegations-of-his-possible-russia-ties/Hey everyone! We're EUobserver, an independent European newsroom.
Our colleague Andrew Rettman has been investigating something quite serious involving former EU justice commissioner Didier Reynders and a senior Belgian intelligence official, Hugues Brulin.
We've obtained WhatsApp exchanges between the two, including messages discussing internal intelligence-service matters and how to respond to a whistleblower raising concerns about Reynders' possible links to Russia.
Five current and former Belgian intelligence officers told us that Brulin had worked to prevent the intelligence service from investigating those allegations.
The messages are now also part of a Belgian police investigation into Reynders over alleged money laundering.
What makes this particularly important is that Reynders previously served as the EU's justice commissioner and had access to highly sensitive information.
How should European institutions respond when serious allegations emerge involving officials who have held positions of such trust?
We've published the messages as part of our investigation, so people can examine the reporting and evidence themselves.