Former European Commissioner Didier Reynders is at the heart of an investigation into suspected money laundering through games of chance. A method that raises questions about the use of lotteries to hide funds of dubious origin.
According to information collected by Le Soir and Follow The Money, the case began following a report from the Financial Information Processing Unit (Ctif) and the National Lottery in 2022, the only one in five years for suspicion of whitening.
On Tuesday, Didier Reynders’ home was searched, and he was interviewed by the police.
The former minister is suspected of having used lottery tickets to launder funds, a technique consisting of disguising the origin of the money to make it legally usable.
How to launder money with games of chance?
The process is simple but risky:
- Purchase of e-tickets or vouchers: The person goes to points of sale to buy vouchers ranging from 1 to 100 euros, which are then credited to a player account.
- Transfer of winnings: Any winnings or even unplayed bets can be transferred to a bank account. This allows the funds to appear as amounts obtained legally through games of chance.
However, playing games of chance involves systematic losses, making it an expensive method. Additionally, frequent or unusual wins quickly attract attention.
A technique under close supervision
European anti-money laundering laws impose reinforced controls, particularly for politically exposed persons (ministers, European commissioners, etc.).
Banks, like gaming companies, monitor unusual financial movements and must report suspicious behavior.
Typhanie Afschirift, tax lawyer, highlights the visibility of this method: “If someone receives a transfer from the lottery once because they won, their banker will congratulate them, that’s good. But if it happens all the time, it’s suspicious. There is no person who earns every month.
The National Lottery, for its part, ensures that it applies strict measures to limit abuse:
- Mandatory identification: Player accounts are linked to a national register number, excluding any anonymity
- Capping deposits and winnings: Weekly deposits are limited to 500 euros, as are balances, with automatic transfers to bank accounts for excess amounts
The National Lottery points out in passing that it applies strict measures which make its environment very unattractive for those seeking to launder money. In the “rare houses” where such behavior is detected, the Forensic unit (computer investigations) of the National Lottery detects and reports these facts to the competent authorities, which it did in 2022 for information which led to searches and the hearing by the police of Didier Reynders.
In the event of proven money laundering, sanctions can reach five years in prison and include confiscation of funds.
didier reynders Money laundering scam political investigation search hearing national lottery
