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Belgian prosecutors detained a 52-year-old Belgian-Chinese former senior researcher at bankrupt chipmaker BelGaN on suspicion of transferring the company’s gallium-nitride (GaN) intellectual property and trade secrets to China. The researcher, identified as H.L., was stopped at Brussels Airport on May 10 while allegedly preparing to travel to Beijing, formally arrested the following day, and remains in pretrial detention at Oudenaarde prison; he denies the allegations.
The investigation arose from a financial inquiry into BelGaN’s July 2024 bankruptcy and alleges that proprietary technology may have been moved while the company was allowed to collapse. Investigators suspect H.L. also led Chinese GaN developer GanKool and found evidence linking BelGaN’s final CEO to that company. Charges include industrial espionage, participation in a criminal organization, misuse of company assets, and unlawful disclosure of business secrets; a second suspect remains at large. GaN technology is strategically important for power electronics used in electric vehicles, aerospace, military systems, and telecommunications.
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BelGaN, a Belgian gallium-nitride semiconductor manufacturer, was declared bankrupt, affecting more than 400 jobs after the company encountered financing difficulties.
Belgium's federal prosecutor's office publicly released case details, alleging that H.L. transferred BelGaN semiconductor IP and business secrets to China while also leading GaN chip company GanKool. Investigators said they found evidence connecting BelGaN's final CEO to GanKool; H.L. faces espionage, criminal-organization, company-asset-misuse, and business-secret-disclosure allegations, while a second suspect remains at large.
Belgian investigators conducted searches and seized data-storage devices and electronic communications for analysis as part of the BelGaN espionage investigation, which also involves a second suspect.
Authorities formally arrested H.L. the day after his airport detention. He remained in pretrial detention at Oudenaarde prison while prosecutors investigated suspected transfer of BelGaN GaN-chip IP and trade secrets.
Belgian authorities detained 52-year-old Belgian-Chinese former senior BelGaN researcher H.L. at Brussels Airport while he was allegedly preparing to board a flight to Beijing.
A financial investigation into BelGaN's collapse uncovered unusual corporate activity, leading investigators to examine whether proprietary GaN knowledge had been transferred while the company was allowed to fail.
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