Whisky surfaces in striking messages between former minister and head of State Security

A good glass of whisky can spark some memorable conversations. But whisky sometimes finds its way into conversations of a rather more remarkable kind. The spirit of the gods came up in an exchange between a former Belgian minister and a senior official at the State Security Service. They traded messages about whisky, political allegations and possible counterattacks.

The messages are part of an ongoing criminal investigation into former Belgian minister and ex-European Commissioner Didier Reynders. The conversations date from 2019 to 2023 and were brought to light by investigative reporting from EUobserver. What stands out most is the strikingly personal tone between the two men.

The most remarkable message was sent in September 2019. At the time, an investigation into possible corruption and money laundering by Reynders had been discontinued due to insufficient evidence. Hugues Brulin, then a senior official at Belgium’s State Security Service, sent Reynders a personal message. He wished him good health with a pure malt whisky and said he was available to help with a possible counterattack against the allegations.

Reynders replied with gratitude for the support. At first glance, it might seem like a friendly message between two acquaintances. Yet the correspondence raises questions, particularly given Brulin’s position within Belgium’s security service.

The messages came to light during an investigation into possible money laundering by Reynders. The former politician is suspected of laundering large sums of money, including through scratch cards from the Belgian National Lottery.

There have also long been allegations of possible links between Reynders and Russia. These have been made, among others, by Nicolas Ullens, a former employee of Belgium’s State Security Service. According to EUobserver’s investigation, several current and former intelligence officers said that Brulin may have tried to obstruct investigations into Reynders. These allegations have not been independently confirmed.

At the State Security Service, Brulin was responsible for areas including personnel and IT. Other people familiar with the matter say this meant he had no direct access to the substance of intelligence files.

Communication between Reynders and Brulin did not stop with that one message in 2019. The men remained in contact in the years that followed. In December 2022, for example, they discussed changes in the leadership of Belgium’s State Security Service. Brulin said that a particular task was largely complete, and Reynders congratulated him.

According to several sources within the intelligence services, those changes may have been linked to attempts to block sensitive investigations, though no evidence of this has yet emerged.

Reynders’ lawyer has criticised the reporting on the leaked conversations. The defence says the contacts were routine and that the leak constitutes a serious breach of the secrecy of the investigation. This story is almost certain to have further twists, but whether whisky will feature again remains to be seen.

Want to discover more about Belgium and its fine whiskies? You can do that here.