Belgian prosecutors announced on Friday that they have filed charges against 19 suspects and detained 9 of them in a case involving alleged fraud and a fixed football match scheme that rocked the top tier of Belgian football, according to lrytas.lt.
The charges were brought after a huge operation carried out by Belgian police on Wednesday, during which 29 people were detained in the country, but 10 of them were released without charges.
Among those detained are at least three player agents, one referee, and a high-level official from a famous football club, as stated in the prosecutor's statement.
The statement also mentions that the most influential agent in Belgian media, Mogi Bayat, is facing charges of money laundering and conspiracy.
This week, he, along with his colleagues agents Dejan Veljkovic and Karim Mejjati, were interrogated as part of a wide-ranging operation that targeted the Belgian football elite. Bayat was arrested and will soon face trial.
Judge Bart Vertenten was also charged with conspiracy and arrested, while former "Anderlecht" club lawyer Laurent Denis faced charges of both conspiracy and money laundering.
Another judge, Sebastien Delferiere, received charges on Thursday and was soon conditionally released.
The Belgian Football Federation immediately suspended both Vertenten and Delferiere on Thursday.
The judges were charged as part of an investigation into a possible match-fixing scheme. It is suspected that Veljkovic, who unsuccessfully tried to save a leading club "KV Mechelen" from relegation to a lower league in the past, was responsible for it.
Bruge's club coach Ivan Leko, whose team plays in the UEFA Champions League, was charged with money laundering on Thursday. Later, he was released.
After a night-long court session, former "Anderlecht" manager Herman Van Holsbeeck was released without charges being filed against him.
A total of 60 searches were carried out during the mentioned police operation: some of them at the headquarters of leading Belgian "Premier" league clubs such as Bruges, Anderlecht, Liege's "Standard," and "KRC Genk."
This massive operation took place simultaneously in Belgium and in several other European countries, such as France and Serbia, where one agent was arrested on Thursday and is now awaiting extradition.
lrytas.lt
