According to information collected by Le Soir and Follow The Money, Didier Reynders is the subject of a judicial investigation for suspicion of money laundering through games of chance. The home of the former European commissioner was searched on Tuesday, and he was questioned by the police.
The case began with a denunciation from the Financial Information Processing Unit (Ctif) and the National Lottery. Former Minister MR, who held several federal portfolios, is suspected of having laundered funds through purchases of lottery tickets, a practice used to hide money of illicit origin.
According to information revealed by Le Soir and Follow The Money, the investigation covers a period spanning several years, when Didier Reynders was still a federal minister and, until recently, European commissioner.
Suspicious transactions include the purchase of “e-tickets”, digital vouchers payable by cash or card, to credit a National Lottery gaming account.
The winnings were then transferred to Didier Reynders’ personal bank account. The total amount of sums involved remains unknown, but Ctif speaks of a relatively large volume.
Searches and hearing
This Tuesday morning, the authorities searched the residences of Didier Reynders in Uccle and Vissoul, between Liège and Namur.
During the afternoon, the emblematic figure of the MR was invited to explain himself. The former commissioner was interviewed by the police without being deprived of his liberty, benefiting from the immunity attached to his past functions.
The Brussels public prosecutor’s office, which is supervising the investigation, remains discreet about the elements discovered during the searches, in particular concerning the possible presence of cash.
Immunity and strategic timing
Although Didier Reynders left his European functions this weekend, the immunity attached to his mandate complicates possible legal proceedings.
If the prosecution wishes to go further, a request for lifting of immunity must be sent to the House of Representatives.
The date of the searches seems calculated: carrying out the operation after his departure from the College of Commissioners made it possible to limit the risks of him being informed of the ongoing investigation.
A career in decline?
The case comes at a pivotal moment for Didier Reynders. After failing to run for the presidency of the Council of Europe and not having been reappointed as European Commissioner in the new team led by Ursula von der Leyen, he found himself withdrawn from the political scene.
His replacement by Hadja Lahbib as Belgian commissioner, decided by Georges-Louis Bouchez, had sparked his “deep disappointment”.
Suspicions of money laundering and the ongoing legal proceedings could further taint a political career marked by two decades of responsibilities at the top of the Belgian state and in Europe.
Didier Reynders, who remains presumed innocent, has not yet publicly reacted to the accusations.
Is laundering money with National Lottery tickets a common practice? Tiffaine Afschrift, tax lawyer, provided her expertise: “It’s very common. It’s even among the examples that we give most often. It involves using cash. It is played in this case by purchasing tickets. Obviously, when you buy them, there are always some who are winners. The part of the winnings arrives in the bank account of the beneficiary. The money, which initially was cash, ends up being found in his account. National lottery, i.e. the State. Official and white money All this is not necessarily laundering. It is only if we can demonstrate that the cash initially comes from a crime.
didier reynders Money laundering scam political investigation search hearing
