Albert Raes (Brugge 21 februari 1932) was a Belgian magistrate and head of the Belgian Security Services.
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Raes is the son of Firmin Raes, executive at 'La Brugeoise' and chief of The Chamber of Rhetoric 'De Drie Santinnen'. He is married and has two daughters.
Raes finished his secondary school at the Sint-Lodewijks College in Bruges (retorics 1951) and continued at the University of Louvain. He graduated as a doctor in law. During his period as a student he was arrested while manifesting in favour of catholic schools.
In 1955 he organized a congress in Bruges on behalf of the Nouvelles Equipes Internationales, the group of Christian-democratic parties in Europe, predecessor of the European Christian-democratic party (EVP). He also organized a gathering of the European Young Christian Democrats. He completed his military service at the First Regiment of Horse Guards and ended as a reserve officer. Back in Bruges, he started working at the offices of the Officer of public prosecution.
Soon he was made a member of the cabinet of minister Albert De Gryse (PTT), as a private secretary. He continued as member of the cabinets of Arthur Gilson (Home Office), André Dequae (Finances), Pierre Wigny (Justice) and Paul-Willem Segers (Defense). In the meantime he was appointed as prosecutor at the courts in Courtrai and Bruges.
In 1975 he was appointed assistant administrator-general of the Belgian Security services, under Ludovic Caeymaex, who he succeeded in 1977. He remained in this capacity until 1990. The then minister of Justice Melchior Wathelet appointed him in June 1990 as director general for Legislation and Cult within the Ministry of Justice and he remained in this function until his retirement in 1997.
During the years 1970 and 1980 Security services encountered regularly controversy. Allegations of malfunctioning were made, but never substantiated.
For a number of years there was a problem generated by extreme rightwing groups, such as Westland New Post and Front de la Jeunesse. Some of the infiltrations by members of the Security were put into question. A parlementary enquiry followed. Raes was pursued meanwhile by the baron Benoît de Bonvoisin, accusing him of being a KGB agent and having accused the baron as an agitaor of the extreme right. The different claims made by Bonvaoisin lead to noting. Parts of the press made suggestions of contacts between the Secret services and groups of extreme right, the Nijvel Gang and the hypothetical Rose Ballets, without any proof.
With a judgment of November 10, 2009 Eric Van de Weghe and Christian Amory were condemned for having sold forged documents to de Bonvoisin, enabling him to claim that Raes was a KGB-agent. The judgment sais: 'It is without doubt that the falsified documents were transmitted by de Bovoisin to the Belgian police authorities with the aim of harming Albert Raes'. De Bonvoisin was up till now not concemned because health problems prevented him of appearing in court.
As for the extreme left, the Security Services and Albert Raes had to fight the Cellules Communistes Combattantes (CCC) of Pierre Carette, and succeeded to eliminate them, after they had made several bomb attacks.
At the end of his career, Raes was confronted with disputes about the Belgian stay-behind network.
Raes was a member of the board of the 'Carnegie Hero Fund'.
In 2000 he was made honorary consul of Morocco for the Flemish region.
Upon French Wikipedia: