Didier Reynders, the former EU Commissioner for Justice who led efforts to freeze Russian state assets, now faces a criminal investigation in Belgium. Local media reported that Belgian prosecutors have charged the veteran official with money laundering, alleging he funneled hundreds of thousands of euros through personal bank accounts and lottery winnings.
Reynders, who served as Belgium’s finance minister from 1999 to 2011 and foreign minister until 2019, became justice commissioner in the first European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen. In that role, he oversaw the enforcement of Russian sanctions and coordination of asset freezes following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict.
The case centers on nearly €1 million ($1.2 million) linked to Reynders’ finances. Investigators claim he laundered approximately €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 been questioned but not charged.
The inquiry followed raids on Reynders’ properties in December 2024, shortly after his EU mandate ended. 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 as the case progresses.
Under Belgian law, prosecutors must secure parliamentary approval to bring a former minister to trial. Money laundering carries a potential five-year prison sentence.
The development occurs amid ongoing EU debates over how to use around $300 billion in immobilized Russian assets to fund Ukraine. EU leaders have yet to agree on channeling the funds—held at Euroclear—into a controversial loan program for Kiev, following Belgium’s demand for stronger legal safeguards. International law prohibits the confiscation of sovereign assets, a principle upheld by many EU capitals, the European Central Bank, and the IMF.
Moscow has denounced the asset freeze and any plans to repurpose the funds. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that redirecting Russian assets to Ukraine would “boomerang” against the West, while Finance Minister Anton Siluanov promised a reciprocal response.
