Former EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders is facing a criminal investigation in Belgium for alleged money laundering. According to local media reports, Reynders, who led the European Union’s efforts to freeze Russian assets, has been charged by Belgian prosecutors with channeling hundreds of thousands of euros through personal bank accounts and lottery winnings.
Reynders, a veteran official who served as Belgium’s finance minister from 1999 to 2011 and foreign minister until 2019, oversaw the enforcement of Russian sanctions and asset-freeze coordination after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict during his tenure as EU Justice Commissioner. The case against him centers on the origins of nearly €1 million linked to his finances, with investigators alleging that he laundered around €700,000 through his bank account over a decade and another €200,000 by purchasing large quantities of lottery tickets and transferring the winnings to his account.
The investigation follows raids on Reynders’ properties in December 2024, shortly after his EU mandate expired. His wife, a retired magistrate, has also been questioned but not charged. Reynders denies any wrongdoing and remains free while the case proceeds. Under Belgian law, prosecutors must obtain parliamentary approval to bring a former minister to trial, and money laundering carries a potential five-year prison sentence.
The development comes as the European Union continues to debate how to use around $300 billion in immobilized Russian assets to fund Ukraine. EU leaders have failed to agree on whether to channel the funds into a loan program to support Kiev, with Belgium demanding stronger legal safeguards. International law prohibits the confiscation of sovereign assets, a rule that many EU capitals, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund insist is unbreakable.
The Kremlin has condemned both the freeze and any plans to repurpose the funds, with Finance Minister Anton Siluanov promising a reciprocal response. The controversy surrounding the use of Russian assets has significant implications for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the European Union’s relations with Russia. As the case against Reynders progresses, it is likely to draw attention to the complexities and challenges of enforcing sanctions and freezing assets in the context of international conflict.