Belgium probes US bank record searches (okay under Belgian law?)

[sabra]

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2006-06-26T111429Z_01_L26722895_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-SWIFT-BELGIUM.xml&archived=False

Belgium probes US bank record searches

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium's government is investigating the legality of counter-terrorism searches by U.S. officials of thousands of private records held by Brussels-based international bank cooperative SWIFT, a spokeswoman said.

U.S. media last week reported that the U.S. Treasury Department had since September 11, 2001 been tapping into records of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) for evidence of potential activity by terror groups.

Belgian Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx learned of the searches from the media and asked Belgium's national security services and counter-fraud office to produce reports into the matter before the end of the week, a ministry spokeswoman said.

"She wants to know if these actions taken by the U.S. and SWIFT are okay under Belgian law," Annaik De Voghel told Reuters on Monday. Security officials will discuss the issue later this week, she added.