Belgian ex-minister suspected of laundering €1m with... lottery tickets
Didier Reynders, former European Justice Commissioner and former Belgian minister, is suspected of money laundering.
1 million euros of suspected laundered money was recovered from his account and 7,000 euros in cash during a house search. Reynders allegedly laundered money via e-tickets from the Belgian National Lottery, a system that allows players to deposit up to €500 a week into their online account, possibly with cash.
The National Lottery and Belgian Financial Information Processing Unit became suspicious because of the frequency and high amounts Reynders deposited. For instance, he is said to have bought lottery tickets totalling 200,000 euros and 800,000 euros were deposited into his accounts over several years. It is not clear where this money came from.
The case raises questions, especially since Reynders was also previously finance minister and as such responsible for the National Lottery.
(Fausto by Tagtik/Source: Le Vif, Le Noir, RTBF/Illustration picture: picture alliance / AA | Dursun Aydemir)