Corruption investigation at the European Parliament: was police superintendent deliberately poisoned?

The police superintendent was arrested last January after allegedly, in a drunken stupor, and together with two colleagues causing a nuisance at a Brussels pub. Various media reported that the chief inspector hit a waiter and also destroyed terrace furniture.

It was a strange affair because all three officers were said always to have behaved impeccably in the past, until that one bizarre incident on the evening in question.

It has now emerged that the superintendent may have possibly been poisoned. The Brussels public prosecutor's office has confirmed that an investigation into possible attempted murder is under way.

The public prosecutor shied away from providing more information. Further investigations should reveal whether someone adulterated the officers’ drinks and whether this was an attempted poisoning.

Officer investigating corruption at European parliament

Following the incident amphetamines were found in the superintendent’s blood.  Amphetamines are synthetic drugs like speed and crystal meths that cannot be tasted or noticed when added to a drink.

The police officer, who works for Belgium’s Anti-corruption service, is involved in the Qatargate investigation into corruption at the European parliament.  Investigators will now want to establish whether there is any link between this corruption enquiry and the adulteration of the superintendent’s drinks.

This possibility isn’t being ruled out, but here it’s thought unlikely the secret services of Qatar or Morocco, two countries that have been linked to the corruption, would stoop to poisoning a serving Belgian police officer.