Brussels Opens Probe into Anderlecht Housing Scandal
The Brussels public prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal investigation into possible corruption at Anderlechtse Haard, one of the largest social housing companies in the Belgian capital, following an undercover report by the VRT NWS program Pano. The probe — the fourth involving the housing company — centers on Lotfi Mostefa (PS), alderman for Housing in Anderlecht and chairman of Anderlechtse Haard, who is accused of systematically influencing the allocation of social housing for political and personal gain. Coalition partners are now demanding his temporary suspension, while opposition parties are calling for a parliamentary investigative committee.
The Investigation
The Brussels prosecutor’s office confirmed on Thursday that it has launched an “opsporingsonderzoek” (preliminary criminal investigation) into both Mostefa as an individual and Anderlechtse Haard as an organization. The probe is being conducted by the Central Service for the Fight against Corruption (CDBC) of the federal police, according to VRT NWS.
Three other investigations involving Anderlechtse Haard were already underway, including one formal judicial investigation that has been running for several months. “In the interest of the ongoing investigations, the prosecutor’s office will not provide further comment,” spokesperson Laura Demullier said.
What Pano Uncovered
The Pano program, which investigated the housing company for 18 months, reviewed hundreds of voice messages and text messages showing that Mostefa personally intervened in housing allocation decisions. An ex-secretary testified that she was asked to compile an Excel list of 800 to 900 housing beneficiaries to contact them for electoral support during the 2024 municipal elections, as reported by RTBF.
“It was asked of me to print electoral flyers, to put them in envelopes. It was during working hours, I printed and did mail merge using the big machine at the Foyer,” the former secretary told Pano. An audio recording corroborated her account, with Mostefa heard instructing her to organize beneficiaries by neighborhood ahead of the elections. “We supported you, we helped you, now it’s your turn to support the president,” she recalled being told to communicate.
Mostefa placed third on the PS-Vooruit list in the October 2024 municipal elections, receiving 3,590 preference votes — more than incumbent mayor Fabrice Cumps, who garnered 3,412 votes.
Political Fallout: Coalition Demands Suspension
The revelations have triggered a political crisis in Anderlecht, where the municipal coalition consists of PS, Vooruit, MR, Anders, CD&V, and Les Engagés. Three coalition partners are demanding that Mostefa step aside.
Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven, local faction leader for the MR, said the allegations “directly affect the integrity of public administration and the trust that citizens can have in their institutions,” as VRT NWS reported. “Given the seriousness of the accusations and to maintain the credibility of the institutions involved, I believe that Lotfi Mostefa should temporarily step down from his duties pending the investigation.”
Imane Belguenani of the Flemish liberal party Anders went further, calling for Mostefa’s immediate resignation. “This is a slap in the face of the thousands of Brussels residents who are entitled to social housing,” she said. “Mostefa actively interfered in individual allocation files. Without prejudice to the right to defense, he can no longer function credibly as chairman.”
Yvan Verougstraete, chairman of Les Engagés, added: “Social housing must never become an instrument of political clientelism. No leniency whatsoever should be shown towards those who would use public money to favor relatives or build an electoral base.”
Opposition Calls for Parliamentary Inquiry
The N-VA is demanding a parliamentary investigative committee. Brussels parliament member Gilles Verstraeten described the findings as evidence of a systemic problem. “These are not isolated facts, but a system where the most vulnerable people are put under pressure,” he told Radio 1. “Government resources have been used to run an election campaign. Intimidation of people in Anderlecht extends all the way to the voting booth. Democracy is at stake here.”
Verstraeten noted that while some social housing units suffer from mold, decay, and inhumane conditions, “PS mandataries seem primarily concerned with making extra money, doing favors for friends and electoral gain.”
Emile Luhahi of Groen said: “Instead of objective criteria determining who gets a home, in Anderlecht it’s apparently decided by a fixer who acts like an all-powerful emperor.” He noted that more than 60,000 Brussels families are on waiting lists for social housing.
Ellen Samyn of Vlaams Belang called it “incomprehensible that someone who was already so heavily implicated in the fraud dossier around the OCMW of Anderlecht could simply continue functioning in other key positions and also manipulate the allocation of social housing.”
A Pattern of Scandals
This is not the first time Mostefa has faced serious allegations. A previous Pano report in November 2024 exposed systemic fraud at the Anderlecht OCMW (Public Social Welfare Center), where undercover journalists easily obtained welfare benefits they were not entitled to. Mostefa was already OCMW chairman at the time, as Bruzz reported.
Despite those revelations, Mostefa remained in power and was even promoted to alderman for Housing after the October 2024 elections. In April 2026, a devastating regional audit of Anderlechtse Haard highlighted serious governance failures, including poor oversight of rent arrears, missing procurement procedures, and excessive involvement of the chairman in day-to-day operations, according to VRT NWS.
Broader Implications
The scandal has reignited debate about systemic clientelism in Brussels governance. Multiple parties across the political spectrum describe the practices at Anderlechtse Haard not as isolated misconduct but as symptomatic of a wider culture of political patronage.
Bob De Brabandere of Vlaams Belang warned: “It’s an illusion to think that the abuses are limited to Anderlecht. In other housing companies and OCMWs, skeletons are also in the closet. Clientelism is widespread and well-known.”
The case also highlights the acute shortage of social housing in Brussels, where more than 60,000 families are on waiting lists. This scarcity creates opportunities for abuse, as politicians can build personal power bases by controlling access to scarce resources.
What’s Next
The immediate question is whether the PS will suspend Mostefa or resist pressure from its coalition partners. If the party refuses, it could trigger a coalition crisis in Anderlecht. The Brussels PS chairman Ahmed Laaouej, considered Mostefa’s political patron, has not yet publicly commented.
Meanwhile, calls for a parliamentary investigative committee are growing, though similar demands after the 2024 OCMW scandal resulted only in parliamentary hearings whose recommendations were never implemented. The criminal investigation, now in its early stages, will determine whether the allegations lead to formal charges.
Zakia Khattabi of Ecolo summed up the sentiment: “When the same name keeps surfacing in dossiers about essential social policy, that cannot simply be brushed aside. Citizens have a right to the truth and full transparency.”