Justice
Antwerp criminal lawyer Jorgen Van Laer (42) has been referred to the criminal court on suspicion of membership of a criminal organization and attempted money laundering. The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office confirms this.
The lawyer is said to have made agreements with his client B., a drug boss residing in Dubai, to help launder his criminal money. The facts came to light after the Sky ECC hack.
Van Laer is one of the top criminal lawyers in Antwerp. In recent years he has represented various suspects in major drug cases, but he does much more than just drug cases.
Van Laer was also the lawyer for one of the Reuzegommers at the trial over the death of Sanda Dia. He then took a remarkable stand – unlike the other Reuzegommers – by pleading partially guilty.
Van Laer is not the first lawyer to go to trial because he is said to be too close to drug criminals. This has previously happened to Pol Vandemeulebroucke, Sahil Malik and Jawad H, among others. Legal investigations are also underway against other Antwerp lawyers.
Master Jorgen Van Laer does not want to comment on the content of the accusations. He says he looks forward to the court proceedings with confidence. “This is a personal matter from years ago that is completely separate from the activities of the office. There is no impact whatsoever on clients, colleagues or the activities of the office. I look forward to the course of the procedure with confidence and will provide my full cooperation.”
