The huge amounts of “pandemic” money sloshing around in the budgets of various Western countries were an invitation to all sorts of grifters to put their snouts into the trough. The following scandal from Belgium is the latest to emerge. It seems that a politically connected operator was able to grease the right palms and get a lucrative (€50 million) COVID-money deal redirected to a favored crony.
Kathleen Depoorter is a member of the federal Belgian parliament for the New Flemish Alliance (Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA). In the following video she calls out the country’s political leadership about the Corona money scandal.
Many thanks to Hellequin GB for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:
English-language articles about this scandal are scarce. The one below was the most comprehensive I could find. I realize that BNN Breaking is a deprecated source, but those who read French will find that this article from the Belgian state broadcaster RTBF lines up well with the BNN Breaking story:
Belgium’s Health Ministry Embroiled in Contract Controversy: A Deep Dive
by Ebenezer Mensah
December 9, 2023In the heart of Belgium, a dispute has arisen, casting a shadow over Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke and the Federal Public Service (SPF) Health Public. At the core of the controversy is the awarding of a public contract initially entrusted to Belgian SME Medista, for the distribution and storage of strategic reserve of medicines, COVID-19 tests, and vaccines. In 2022, the contract was transitioned to French multinational company Movianto, bringing the fairness of the process under scrutiny.
Medista Cries Foul
Medista, holder of the contract from 2020 to 2022, contested the decision, alleging that an SPF Health Public official unfairly assisted Movianto. In an attempt to validate their claims, Medista presented evidence, including hidden camera videos obtained with the assistance of Black Cube, a private investigation firm staffed by ex-members of the Israeli intelligence service.
Medista also claimed unpaid invoices amounting to EUR 5.3 million from the SPF, unsuccessfully challenging the contract award in the Council of State, and sought to amicably settle the dispute.