After working as a defence lawyer at the Brussels Bar from 1989 to 1993 and subsequently as a lawyer in the public service at the Société régionale du Port de Bruxelles (1994 to 1995), Judge Fransen entered the judiciary, where he served as an investigating judge at the Brussels District Court for more than ten years.
He dealt with serious and organised financial and economic crimes before specialising in international humanitarian law and terrorism cases. Until his appointment as the pre-trial judge of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Judge Fransen was dean of the investigating judges specialising in terrorism in Belgium (2006 to 2009).
He has participated in many international conferences and written several publications on terrorism.
You can download a high-resolution photograph of Judge Fransen from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's Flickr account.