A Brussels court has ordered Belgian biometrics company Semlex and 13 other defendants to stand trial over alleged corruption, money laundering and tax fraud linked to a contract to produce biometric passports (identity documents using biometric data) for the Democratic Republic of Congo. The decision was issued Monday by Brussels’ Council Chamber after 51 Congolese citizens and anti-corruption groups joined an ongoing criminal investigation through a 2020 civil suit. The civil parties said the case could become the first Belgian company trial involving alleged bribery of foreign public officials, although Reuters could not independently confirm that claim. They allege the arrangement diverted nearly $60 million. Reuters reported in 2017 that passport costs nearly doubled to $185 each, with $60 from each document’s fee going to a company owned by a relative of then-President Joseph Kabila. The allegations have not been proven in court, and no trial date has been set.