Belgian police raided several properties linked to former European Commissioner for Justice for alleged fraud, Follow the Money and Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported.
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The Belgian federal police raided several properties linked to former European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders on suspicion of money laundering, Follow the Money and Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported.
Reynders reportedly bought lottery tickets through the National Lottery over several years, an organisation which he was in charge of as a minister between 2007 and 2011.
It is alleged that he took part in lottery games and deposited the resulting, and now-laundered, profits into his personal account.
Local media report that the investigation had been ongoing for months, but that investigators waited until the end of Reynders' term as European Commissioner on Sunday - which also marked the end of his EU immunity.
In order to perform a raid while Reynders was still a Commissioner, Belgian police required permission from the College of Commissioners. As Reynders was a part of this group until recently, such a move threatened to jeopardise the investigation.
One of the properties reportedly raided was Reynders' own private property - with the former EU justice chief questioned by police until Tuesday evening.
Reynders served as the justice commissioner from 2019 until 2024. Previously, the top politician served as the Belgian finance minister from 1999 until 2011.
Belgian police investigated Reynders for allegations of corruption and money-laundering in 2019. Reynders maintained his innocence and the case was ultimately dropped.