Brussels’ prosecutor’s office is investigating the lender ING Belgium over its connection with the alleged corruption and money laundering by former European justice commissioner Didier Reynders.
The Central Service for Combating Corruption (CDBC) is investigating whether the bank shielded Reynders in a potential case of “influence peddling” or accepted bribes to conceal his activities, ignore warning signs, or deliberately delay action regarding his suspicious deposits.
This case, opened in May, is separate from the one launched by the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office in 2023 against Reynders’ alleged money laundering activities.
He is alleged to have deposited around €700,000 in cash to his ING account. When asked about this, he allegedly told the bank he earned this by buying and selling works of art, a claim that also is being investigated.
After the questions from the bank, he allegedly started buying up large numbers of lottery tickets, the profits of which flowed into his bank account
This newest investigation follows an earlier probe by the National Bank of Belgium (NBB). That looked into how ING handled the suspected alleged money laundering activities of Reynders.
ING was allegedly aware of possible issues regarding his finances since 2018 but reportedly did not pursue the matter and the NBB was only informed in 2023. At that point there was already a judicial investigation ongoing, initiated by an alert from the National Lottery and the Belgian Financial Intelligence Processing Unit (CTIF-CFI).
After this, when the National Bank submitted its inspection report on ING Belgium and the bank’s handling of the Reynders case to the judicial authorities, the new investigation was opened.
Julien Moinil, the public prosecutor of Brussels, confirmed the judicial investigation to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, which reported the story but added he “does not wish to comment because this investigation is ongoing”.
Didier Reynders, the former European Commissioner of Justice, is the subject of more allegations of money laundering. https://t.co/JxOMNkwOte
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 16, 2024
About 15 ING employees, including the current and former CEOs, have reportedly spoken to the anti-corruption office and are all being treated as potential suspects in the case, Le Soir alleged.
ING Belgium told the press it cannot comment “on a specific issue” but in a more general context said it “fully assumes its role as guardian of the financial system and complies with all legal obligations in the fight against money laundering”.
Investigators reportedly want to understand how ING was apparently overly lenient on Reynders, a former minster of finance and foreign affairs before becoming justice commissioner
Influence peddling, a specific category of corruption, is punishable by six months to four years in prison and a fine of up to €80,000.
The Brussels federal police began its investigation in March 2024 after receiving the National Lottery and CFI reports.
In early December, after he lost the immunity that came with his position as justice commissioner, Reynder’s premises were searched by police and he and his wife were questioned.
Reynders’ wife, a high magistrate at the court of appeals until her retirement in 2018, was also a suspect because half of the suspicious tickets were allegedly bought via an account in her name.
Reynders himself has been accused of alleged corruption several times but never found guilty by a Belgian court. He has denied any wrongdoing and said he was innocent of all the accusations against him.
The Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that a Brussels antique dealer’s premises were raided over suspected money laundering in connection with former European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders. https://t.co/w87pqfuAAZ
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 15, 2025
