Brussels, (Unib Rashid) — Former Belgian Foreign Minister and ex-European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders has been officially named a suspect in a money laundering and tax evasion investigation, Belgian media reported on Wednesday, citing judicial sources.

According to reports, Reynders was questioned by investigators on October 16, after which an investigating judge placed him on the list of suspects for alleged money laundering.

The case reportedly stems from an investigation launched in December 2023, when Belgium’s National Lottery detected suspicious e-ticket sales at a petrol station in Uccle, a suburb of Brussels. Police were alerted, and an internal audit allegedly revealed financial irregularities in accounts linked to Reynders and his wife.

Investigators suspect that the couple may have laundered around €200,000 over a five-year period through transactions involving lottery products. Further inquiries revealed that between 2008 and 2018, Reynders allegedly deposited approximately €700,000 in small cash amounts into an ING Bank account. After the bank raised questions about these deposits, he reportedly began purchasing large quantities of winning lottery scratch cards using cash.

Reynders’ wife, Bernadette Prignon, who serves as an honorary magistrate, was also questioned but has not been formally charged.

The Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office declined to confirm the details, stating that it would “reserve its comments in the interest of justice.”

This revelation has caused a stir in Belgian political circles, as Didier Reynders is regarded as one of the country’s most influential politicians, having served in top national and European Union positions for over two decades.