Former EU justice chief hit with money-laundering probe

BRUSSELS

FILE - European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders delivers a speech on the electoral law, the investigative committee and the rule of law in Poland, Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo)

The EU's outgoing justice commissioner, Didier Reynders, faced police questioning and a raid on his home on Dec. 3 over suspicions of money laundering during a previous mandate as a Belgian government minister.

A source close to the inquiry confirmed to AFP, as first reported by Belgian media, that Reynders, whose commission term ended at the weekend, was being investigated for a suspected laundering scheme involving national lottery tickets.

The 66-year-old was heard by police though not taken into custody, and "several searches" were carried out at properties including his home in the Brussels district of Uccle, the source said.

According to Le Soir newspaper, police also searched his second home in the Belgian countryside.

Reynders served as the European Union's justice chief from 2019 to 2024 under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen, whose second commission team took office on Dec. 1.

His role involved responsibility for enforcing the rule of law within the 27-nation bloc, and also granted him immunity from prosecution.

The investigation was opened last year under the authority of the Brussels state prosecutor, acting upon information received from Belgium's national lottery and a financial investigation cell, the source said.