The one who was until this weekend the European Commissioner for Justice, is now under the scrutiny of the police and judicial authorities of his country. The former Foreign Minister and veteran Belgian politician was questioned this Tuesday by the police in Brussels in relation to an alleged case of money laundering through lottery tickets, a system that the hitherto heavyweight of Belgian politics knows well. : As also Belgian Minister of Finance, he was in charge of the National Lottery for several years.
According to Belgian media The evening y Follow The Moneythe police carried out searches this Tuesday in two homes in Brussels and the surrounding area of Reynders, who as Commissioner for Justice was in charge of key issues regarding the rule of law in the EU.
The Belgian, who came to ask, when there was not even a draft of the proposal, also acted as an arbitrator between the PSOE and the PP to unblock the blockage of the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), The already former commissioner, who transferred his portfolio to the Irishman Michael McGrath this Sunday, also testified for long hours before the police this Tuesday, although for the moment he has not been charged.
The Belgian politician is suspected, according to these media, which cite sources close to the investigation, of having laundered money for years through the National Lottery system, for which he was responsible between 2007 and 2011.
According to reports, the scheme consisted of first purchasing electronic tickets (vouchers of 1 to 100 euros) that can be transferred to a National Lottery account. From said account, Reynders would have participated in lottery games and transferred the income obtained – already laundered – to his private account. The Brussels attorney general’s office has confirmed to The evening y Follow The Money the existence of a money laundering investigation, but did not want to give more details, these media point out.
The first suspicions would have arisen following a complaint from the Financial Information Processing Cell (Ctif) and the National Lottery itself. The events extend, presumably, for several years, from Reynders’ time as Belgian federal minister – although no longer in charge of the lottery – and until “at least” last year, he highlights. The evening.
The investigation was open, with the utmost discretion (according to the aforementioned publications, only a handful of researchers were aware). The police action occurred at the end of Reynders’ last term as commissioner, since until then he enjoyed immunity and acting against him would have involved first notifying the College of Commissioners, chaired by Ursula von der Leyen and of which the Belgian was still member. Although he no longer holds any political office, he still has some protection: if the judge in charge of the investigation asks to arrest him or take the case to trial, the Belgian Parliament must lift his immunity.
Reynders, 66, has been a well-known face in Belgian politics for decades. In 1992 he was elected deputy for the first time, and between 1999 and 2019 he held several ministerial portfolios. During these years, the liberal politician has been accused several times of corruption and accepting bribes, although it was never proven. Something that earned him the nickname “Teflon Didier,” he recalls. Follow The Money. When the Belgian Government decided to opt for – until last week – Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, as the new commissioner; Reynders expressed his anger in the Belgian press. This case could mean a definitive end to his political career, both national and international.
The investigation into Reynders occurs almost exactly two years after another case of alleged corruption shook European institutions: to influence policies favorable to their interests. The case, which broke out with the arrest of the then vice president of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, has not yet entered the trial phase.
