UNIOP-INUSOP affair

The UNIOP-INUSOP affair is a Belgian political scandal of the early 1990s, whereby it was alleged that government ministers from the Socialist Party overpaid for political studies in the late 1980s.

The affair is named after the polling institute UNIOP ("Universitair Instituut voor Opiniepeilingen") - INUSOP ("Institut Universitaire de Sondage d'Opinion"), that was closely related to the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Université Libre de Bruxelles.

Among those who the prosecutors sought investigate in 1994 were foreign minister Willy Claes, former Brussels region premier Philippe Moureaux and former defense minister Guy Coëme. [cite news | title = Veteran foreign minister faces probe over government contracts | publisher = Agence France Presse | date = July 02, 1994] A parliamentary panel judged however that only sufficient evidence was available to charge Coëme. He was convicted in 1996 in a Supreme Court trial [cite news | title = International news | publisher = Associated Press | date = April 05, 1996] , but a later judgement by the European Court of Human Rights judged his trial to be unfair. [cite news | title = Belgium condemned by EU court in case of former minister Coeme
publisher = Agence France Presse | date = June 22, 2000]

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