Belgium and Morocco Collaborate to Seize Assets and Arrest Fugitive Criminals

"Crime has no borders. We therefore need good collaboration between the federal and local police, with the magistrates, but also good cooperation with other countries," Van Tigchelt told La Dernière Heure during his visit to the headquarters of the Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST) of the federal judicial police (PJF).

Last year, some 168 criminals wanted by Belgium were arrested by this unit. Among them, 107 were apprehended in foreign countries such as Morocco and 61 in Belgium, Van Tigchelt added. This number is down compared to the two previous years when 232 wanted criminals were arrested in 2022 and 306 in 2021.

This trend is justified by the new orientation given to FAST, which now focuses its searches on criminals who have been sentenced to at least five years in prison, explained the Belgian official.