In 1996 it's a tricky situation for the security services. The Dutroux scandal has just come to light. The whole of Belgium is in uproar. 300,000 people have just marched through the streets of Brussels. The Liege firefighters are washing down the Palace of Justice, their 20th century version of the Augean Stables. Revolution is in the air.

But after a few days, things have calmed down. The Belgian people have started to trust their institutions again. The crisis has been averted.

But what happens then? A government minister, a VERY IMPORTANT government minister, is caught with his pants down. Literally, and in the company of some very under-age individuals. The evidence is overwhelming and, to make things worse, a very determined and talented investigative journalist has got hold of the criminal case file. And he publishes!

It looks like it's all over, doesn't it? Prosecution for the government minister, and a new earthquake to rock Belgium.

But no! The authorities save the situation, and they do so brilliantly!

But unfortunately for them, all has now been revealed. We now know that the cover-up consisted of the following steps

1. SHOOT THE MESSENGER. Everything possible was done to discredit the original journalist.And it worked beautifully.
2. TEAR APART THE WITNESSES. A tried and tested technique was used, but the execution was masterful.
3. SABOTAGE THE INVESTIGATION. Every trick in the book was used to block the investigation.
4. POINT THE FINGER AT THE OPPOSITION. This was pure genius. The equivalent to a new variation in a chess opening. Well done Belgium!
5. CREATE A DISTRACTION. The pièce de résistance.

The senior politician was very important in 1996 and he is one of Belgium's leading politicians today.

In my next blogs in this series we will follow up these steps in more detail. They are shining examples of deception and manipulation. All government security services should take note.