Didier Reynders was questioned by the federal police until late in the evening on Tuesday. Detectives also raided various addresses, including his private home, the public prosecutor’s office confirmed after reporting The evening in Follow The Money. Everything revolves around money laundering through gambling, a technique that appears more often, according to tax expert Michel Maus.
Reynders, who was EU Commissioner for Justice until last weekend, is suspected by the court of money laundering through the purchase of games of chance, it has been reported. The evening in Follow The Money heard. The facts are said to have taken place over a period of several years.
The police carried out searches at various addresses linked to the MR politician on Tuesday morning and Reynders was interrogated until late in the evening on Tuesday, without being deprived of his freedom. The searches are part of an investigation into money laundering that has been going on for months. Investigators waited to strike until Reynders’ term as EU commissioner expired on Sunday, causing him to lose his immunity.
Reynders is suspected of laundering money through the National Lottery, for which he was responsible as Minister of Finance between 2007 and 2011. The facts are said to have taken place over several years, but not when the National Lottery was still under his powers.
He allegedly used cash to purchase electronic National Lottery tickets that he could transfer to an online Lottery account. He allegedly participated in lottery games and deposited the proceeds into a digital account of the former minister. These would then have been transferred to his private account. The money laundering is said to have taken place over a long period of time, but not when he was still responsible for the National Lottery.
The Belgian public prosecutor’s office is said to have been tipped off by the National Lottery and the Belgian Cell for Financial Information Processing (CFI), where transactions can be reported that could be linked to money laundering or the financing of terrorism.
Maus: “Technology used more often”
According to tax expert Michel Maus (VUB), the technique that Reynders is suspected of is one that is often used. “The first chapter in the money laundering course for beginners stipulates that someone who wants to officialize black money must be able to give it a lawful origin,” Maus said on Radio 1. “After all, banks are subject to money laundering regulations and must screen the origin if money appears in your account.” One of those legitimate origins is winning at games of chance – a technique that appears more often.
But gaming companies are also subject to money laundering regulations and must have an internal compliance service that will detect possible avenues of money laundering and report them to the money laundering unit. According to Maus, a common technique is so-called “smurfing”, in which large amounts are divided into small pieces. One transaction is not noticeable, but a screening can also be done over a long period and if you buy scratch tickets for 1,000 or 2,000 euros every month via an e-ticket system, this will also become noticeable over time, according to the tax law professor.
Political heavyweight
Didier Reynders was not immediately available for comment. He has been a political heavyweight for years. He was Minister of Finance between 1999 and 2011 and Minister of Foreign Affairs until 2019. If an investigating judge wanted to arrest him or bring the case to court, this would require a vote in the House, writes The evening. The Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office points out that the presumption of innocence applies in full.
