Jan Jambon

The i-Police programme, intended to modernise police IT, consumed tens of millions of euros without delivering the expected system. The project had been launched politically under Jambon, but the main contract was concluded later, under Annelies Verlinden. In 2026, prosecutors and Parliament renewed their examination of the matter.

State of the evidence

Programme failure and preliminary investigation documented; personal criminal liability not established

Legal status — source text

Brussels prosecutors: preliminary investigation opened in 2026 into possible waste of public funds and conflicts of interest; Jambon called upon to explain himself in Parliament, not charged in the sources retained

Attribution

Institutional responsibility: project launched during his term; main contract subsequently signed under another minister

In September 2022, budget disagreements within the Flemish government prevented Jambon from delivering his traditional September Declaration on the scheduled date. A compromise was reached only three days later, an exceptional development that exposed divisions within the coalition.

State of the evidence

Coalition deadlock and institutional delay documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility as Minister-President

The Jambon government announced a 6% cut in structural subsidies and a reduction of approximately 60% in cultural project grants. Artists and institutions organised mass protests, accusing the government of weakening the cultural ecosystem.

State of the evidence

Budget cuts and mobilisation documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility as Flemish Minister-President and Culture Minister

At the beginning of the pandemic, several Flemish decisions concerning visits to care homes and the opening of shops caused confusion and criticism. Jambon publicly acknowledged that politicians had made mistakes.

State of the evidence

Policy reversals and acknowledgement of mistakes documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility as Flemish Minister-President

Jambon left the federal government with the other N-VA ministers when his party withdrew from the coalition over the United Nations Global Compact for Migration.

State of the evidence

Coalition breakdown and resignation established

Legal status — source text

Ministerial resignation formally recorded

Attribution

Direct involvement as Deputy Prime Minister and N-VA minister

After the Brussels attacks, it emerged that Turkey had expelled Ibrahim El Bakraoui and alerted Belgian authorities to his profile. Jambon offered his resignation amid criticism of information sharing and security failings.

State of the evidence

Administrative failings and offer of resignation documented

Legal status — source text

Resignation offered but refused by the Prime Minister; no personal criminal liability established

Attribution

Direct responsibility as Interior Minister

Jambon claimed that a 'significant section' of the Muslim community had danced after the Brussels attacks. Opposition politicians and Muslim representatives demanded evidence, considering the statement stigmatising.

State of the evidence

Public statement documented; factual scale disputed

Attribution

Directly implicated

Jambon's past resurfaced in 2014 with revelations that he had attended a 2001 meeting of the Sint-Maartensfonds, an association of former Eastern Front collaborators. His statements that collaborators had 'their reasons' prompted strong controversy.

State of the evidence

Attendance and public statements documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Photographs and witness accounts showed Jambon seated at a head table during a 1996 meeting with Jean-Marie Le Pen, although he had portrayed his attendance as that of an ordinary audience member. The revelation fuelled debate about his links with radical nationalist circles.

State of the evidence

Attendance documented; precise nature of his role politically disputed

Attribution

Directly implicated