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Belgian Chip Executive Held on China Espionage Charges
(MENAFN) A 52-year-old former senior executive at Belgian semiconductor manufacturer Belgan has been remanded in custody amid a criminal investigation into suspected espionage and the unlawful transfer of sensitive chip technology to China, Belgian prosecutors announced Monday.
The suspect, who holds dual Belgian and Chinese nationality and lives in Leuven, was detained at Brussels Zaventem Airport just before boarding a flight to Beijing, according to a statement from the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office. Investigators are probing allegations of espionage, participation in a criminal organization, misuse of company assets, and unlawful disclosure of trade secrets.
The case ties into ongoing insolvency proceedings involving Belgan BV — formerly known as AMI Semiconductor and ON Semiconductor — a company based in Oudenaarde that specialized in manufacturing gallium nitride semiconductors. Belgan collapsed into bankruptcy on July 31, 2024, a move that impacted more than 400 employees, prosecutors said.
Investigators allege the suspect held a senior research post at Belgan while simultaneously sitting on the board of a Chinese company engaged in comparable manufacturing work. That Chinese firm, prosecutors said, was launched several months after the suspect joined Belgan and was backed financially by a Chinese investment fund.
Authorities are now reviewing evidence suggesting that specialized intellectual property and trade secrets tied to gallium nitride chip production may have been illegally moved abroad. The technology carries significant strategic weight, with applications spanning electric vehicles, aerospace, and military systems.
A second suspect remains at large in connection with the investigation, prosecutors said.
The suspect, who holds dual Belgian and Chinese nationality and lives in Leuven, was detained at Brussels Zaventem Airport just before boarding a flight to Beijing, according to a statement from the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office. Investigators are probing allegations of espionage, participation in a criminal organization, misuse of company assets, and unlawful disclosure of trade secrets.
The case ties into ongoing insolvency proceedings involving Belgan BV — formerly known as AMI Semiconductor and ON Semiconductor — a company based in Oudenaarde that specialized in manufacturing gallium nitride semiconductors. Belgan collapsed into bankruptcy on July 31, 2024, a move that impacted more than 400 employees, prosecutors said.
Investigators allege the suspect held a senior research post at Belgan while simultaneously sitting on the board of a Chinese company engaged in comparable manufacturing work. That Chinese firm, prosecutors said, was launched several months after the suspect joined Belgan and was backed financially by a Chinese investment fund.
Authorities are now reviewing evidence suggesting that specialized intellectual property and trade secrets tied to gallium nitride chip production may have been illegally moved abroad. The technology carries significant strategic weight, with applications spanning electric vehicles, aerospace, and military systems.
A second suspect remains at large in connection with the investigation, prosecutors said.
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