Belgian Lawyer Jorgen Van Laer Gets Suspended Prison Term for Money Laundering
The Antwerp criminal court has convicted prominent criminal defense lawyer Jorgen Van Laer (45) of attempted money laundering and participation in a criminal organization, sentencing him to two years of suspended imprisonment and an effective fine of €40,000, according to VRT NWS.
Background and Offenses
Between March 2020 and January 2021, Van Laer used the encrypted messaging service Sky ECC to offer money laundering services to drug criminals, including advice on how to launder money through gold purchases. He traveled to Dubai for further discussions with clients, referring to the emirate as “the sandbox” (“de zandbak”) in his encrypted messages.
According to HLN, Van Laer gave advice under the alias “Tom H.” to Antwerp drug criminals including Youssef Ben Azza, Omar O.O., and Hakim El M., proposing to conduct business through an Antwerp diamond firm. The meeting point was Frankrijklei 104 in Antwerp — the location of Van Laer’s law firm Bannister.
Addiction and Vulnerability
The court acknowledged that Van Laer struggled with alcohol and cocaine addiction during the period of the offenses, making him more susceptible to proposals from the criminal milieu. However, the court stated this “cannot be a justification.” The judges did take into account that Van Laer has since addressed his addiction and is now free of it.
Van Laer was arrested in February 2023 and immediately confessed to using a Sky ECC device. The investigation could not prove that any concrete money laundering transaction was ever carried out or that Van Laer derived any financial benefit from his offers.
Failed Plea Agreement and Sentencing Discrepancy
In a notable development, Van Laer had negotiated a “voorafgaande erkenning van schuld” (VES) — a prior admission of guilt agreement — with the prosecution in 2024, agreeing to 150 hours of community service and an €8,000 fine. As VRT NWS reported, the Antwerp criminal court refused to ratify this agreement, finding the negotiated penalty disproportionate given the detailed nature of the proposed money laundering scheme.
At trial earlier this month, the prosecution requested 200 hours of community service and a €40,000 fine. The court imposed a significantly harsher sentence: two years suspended imprisonment and the full €40,000 fine. Van Laer’s defense lawyers, Patrick Waeterinckx and Marco Schoups, had argued for acquittal, stating that while their client’s actions were “morally reprehensible,” no material act of money laundering had been committed.
Broader Context: Lawyers and Organized Crime
Van Laer is the third Antwerp lawyer to be prosecuted in connection with the Sky ECC investigation, which saw Belgian, French, and Dutch law enforcement infiltrate the encrypted messaging service in March 2021 in what became the largest police operation in Belgian history. Fellow lawyers Sahil M. was sentenced to five years imprisonment for acting as a courier for drug money, while Jawad H. received three years for informing drug criminals about police investigations.
According to background reporting by HLN, Van Laer was known as a top lawyer in drug cases and served as counsel to Mo T., the right-hand man of wanted drug criminal Othman El Ballouti.
What’s Next
Van Laer’s lawyers are considering whether to appeal the verdict. A separate money laundering investigation remains ongoing against Van Laer, related to his contacts with detained drug criminal Flor Bressers (the “Kryva Rochem” dossier). A disciplinary sanction from the Orde van Vlaamse Balies (Order of Flemish Bars) may also follow. Van Laer had already been denied access to Antwerp courthouses prior to the verdict.
The case underscores the vulnerability of the legal profession to infiltration by organized crime and demonstrates the long reach of the Sky ECC investigation, which continues to produce convictions years after the initial crack in 2021.