---
born: 1941-10-20
category: Belgium Scandals
created: 2026-05-14
died: 2021-02-19
location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium
summary: Count Leopold Lippens was mayor of Knokke-Heist, Belgium, for over forty
  years; he and his brother Count Maurice Auguste Lippens were named by multiple witnesses
  in the Marc Dutroux X-Dossier investigation as participants in elite child abuse
  networks.
tags:
- Person
- Belgium
- Dutroux
- Elite
updated: 2026-05-14
---

Leopold Raymond Maurice Francois Marie Ghislain Lippens was born on October 20, 1941, in Knokke, Belgium, into a prominent family with deep roots in the region's political and colonial history. His grandfather had served as governor-general of the Belgian Congo, and his father held the mayoral office of Knokke before him. His brother [Count Maurice Auguste Lippens](/people/count-maurice-auguste-lippens/) became a leading Belgian banker and businessman.[^1]

Lippens served as mayor of Knokke-Heist for over forty years, from 1979 until his death in February 2021. He cultivated a public profile centered on the coastal resort's golf culture, claiming friendships with international figures including Jackie Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, and Donald Trump. He died on February 19, 2021, from leukemia, aged 79.[^1]

### X-Dossier Allegations

During the [Marc Dutroux](/people/marc-dutroux/) investigation, Leopold Lippens and his brother Maurice were named by multiple victim-witnesses in the [X-Dossier](/events/x-dossier/) compiled by investigating magistrate [Jean-Marc Connerotte](/people/jean-marc-connerotte/). The principal witness, X1 ([Regina Louf](/people/regina-louf/)), described childhood prostitution organized at villas in [Knokke-Heist](/places/knokke-heist/) near the [Royal Zoute Golf Club](/places/royal-zoute-golf-club/), frequented by figures including Leopold and Maurice Lippens, [Paul Vanden Boeynants](/people/paul-vanden-boeynants/), and [Baron Benoit de Bonvoisin](/people/baron-benoit-de-bonvoisin/).[^2]

A second witness, X2, corroborated allegations concerning child abuse parties organized at Maurice Lippens's villa, identifying Leopold as present, along with Belgian commissioner Etienne Davignon, politician Karel Van Miert, and others.[^3] X1 described Leopold Lippens as participating not only in organized sexual abuse but in events involving what she characterized as a "snuff network." X-Dossier materials were leaked to journalists in 1999 and released in summary form through WikiLeaks in 2009.[^2]

Belgian law enforcement and prosecutors treated the X-Dossier testimonies as unverified; the investigating team under Connerotte was replaced in 1997 amid controversy over the removal of the lead magistrate. Lippens was never charged or tried in connection with the X-Dossier allegations, which he denied.[^3]

[^1]: "Leopold Lippens, the baron-mayor of Knokke, dies at 79," *The Brussels Times,* February 20, 2021. https://www.brusselstimes.com/155873/leopold-lippens-mayor-knokke-dies-at-79-congo-baron-michelin-kennedy-trump-leukaemia
[^2]: "Belgian X-Dossiers of the Dutroux Affair: the Accused," Institute for the Study of Globalization and Covert Politics, 2007. https://www.isgp-studies.com/belgian-x-dossiers-of-the-marc-dutroux-affair-the-accused
[^3]: "Dutroux case and X-Dossier victim-witnesses," crimesandconsequences.com, updated 2021. https://crimesandconsequences.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/dutroux-case-and-x-dossier-victim-witnesses.pdf