On Tuesday, Belgian police conducted a search of Reynders' home, whose mandate as Justice Commissioner expired over the weekend. He will be questioned and, according to an AFP source close to the investigation, is being investigated for a larger money laundering operation linked to Belgium's state-owned gaming company.
The investigation itself began last year based on information from the state lottery and economic crime investigators. During his five years as EU Commissioner, Didier Reynders has enjoyed immunity from prosecution.
The suspected crimes are believed to have taken place during Reynders' time in the Belgian government. The 66-year-old was Finance Minister from 1999 to 2011 and Foreign Minister from 2011 to 2019, before joining Ursula von der Leyen's first commission.
It is unclear how large the sums involved in the suspected money laundering are.
Didier Reynders wanted to gain new confidence in the EU Commission, but his Belgian party chose to nominate the former Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib instead. She is now the EU Commissioner responsible for equality and crisis preparedness.
