Top Public Prosecution Service razor sharp for Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V): “Security is not free” | Interior

“We never met her, apparently that’s impossible,” said Attorney General de la Serna. “We no longer know which saint to address. We are asking for an extra 35 million for the FGP, out of a total budget for the federal police of 1 billion, but the answer is no. However, with more resources we could achieve clear results. Due to a lack of personnel, the sentencing investigations are now not a priority, so that a lot of money cannot be recovered there. Now the judicial transactions have brought in 207 million euros, and the extensive fines about 400 million. With additional funds, those amounts would be higher.”

“It is not normal that the top of the magistracy has to be beggared like this,” said Attorney General Johan Delmulle. “We’ve been trying to bring the seriousness of the situation to the attention of policymakers for a long time, and I don’t understand why it’s taking so long. Security is not free. The cuts that the FGP has undergone are as irresponsible as the cuts in Defense have been.”

“Apparently people don’t realize how the environment in which the FGP now has to operate has changed,” Prosecutor General Delmulle continued. “Legislation has become more complex, there is a discussion between privacy and security, there is digitization. Criminal organizations are increasingly working in a high-tech way, the FGP must be able to work in an equally high-tech way.”