A Brussels court 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 passports for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ^[1] Civil parties alleged that nearly $60 million was diverted under the biometric-passport contract awarded to Semlex. ^[2] The Brussels Council Chamber referred the defendants to a criminal court on Monday following an investigation lasting nearly nine years, according to the International Federation for Human Rights and Transparency International. ^[3] The deal almost doubled the cost of a passport to $185, with $60 from each document allegedly transferred to LRPS Ltd, a Dubai-based company reportedly linked to a relative of then-President Joseph Kabila. ^[4] A spokesperson for the Belgian federal prosecutor's office confirmed that Semlex and an unspecified number of employees were among those referred by the prosecutor to the criminal court. ^[5] Reuters reported in 2017 that millions of dollars from the production of the DRC's biometric passports were being channelled offshore, including to a company linked to a relative of then-president Joseph Kabila. ^[6] The civil parties said on Monday the scheme is alleged to have resulted in the diversion of nearly $60m (R969.3m) without giving further details. ^[7]