The Brussels public prosecutor's office is targeting former EU Justice Commissioner Reynders. The Belgian politician is suspected of having laundered money through gambling.
Until three days ago, Didier Reynders was still the EU Justice Commissioner. Now the Belgian himself is in the focus of the authorities. Specifically, there are investigations into suspected money laundering. This was confirmed by the General Prosecutor’s Office in Brussels. The investigators did not want to give further details. Reynders did not initially react.
The investigative media platform “Follow The Money” and the Belgian newspaper “Le Soir” had previously reported that several apartments had been searched. According to the AFP news agency, Reynders also had to face police interrogation.
Investigations have probably been going on for a long time
The Brussels public prosecutor's office is said to have started an investigation as early as 2023. The trigger is said to have been information from the Belgian supervisory authority and the National Lottery. The politician is accused of laundering money through gambling during his term as a Belgian minister. It remained unclear what sums were involved in the investigation.
Specifically, Reynders is said to have bought “e-tickets” in sales outlets. These are vouchers worth between 1 and 100 euros. They can be transferred to a gaming account held by the National Lottery. Some of the lottery tickets are said to have been purchased in cash and the winnings were paid into Reynder's digital account at the National Lottery. They were then transferred to his checking account. It is unclear where Reynders got the money for the “e-tickets,” they say.
The EU Commission wants to work with the authorities work together
A spokesman for the EU Commission stated that the authority had no further information on this matter. “If the Belgian authorities contact us, we will of course work with them,” it said.
Reynders was EU Justice Commissioner in Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's cabinet from 2019 to 2024 and was also responsible for the rule of law. The Belgian was previously Belgian Finance Minister from 1999 to 2011 and Foreign Minister from 2011 to 2019.
