Brussels denies knowledge of Reynders's alleged money laundering, willing to cooperate with police

The European Commission has categorically denied knowing anything related to the money-laundering scheme that Didier Reynders has allegedly operated for years, including during his five-year mandate as Commissioner for Justice.

The Commission also expressed its openness to cooperate in the ongoing investigation.

The presumed scheme involved purchases of lottery tickets and cash of unknown origin, according to revelations made by Follow The Money and Le Soir on Tuesday evening. Belgian police have already questioned Reydners and raided several of his properties.

The 66-year-old politician has not yet publicly replied to the accusations. It's unclear how much money could have been potentially laundered.

On Wednesday, the Commission faced multiple questions about the suspected activities of Reydners, who left office over the weekend as the new College stepped in.

"We have, of course, seen the media reports about a case involving former Commissioner and former minister, Didier Reynders. We do not have any further information on this matter," a Commission spokesperson said.

"If the Belgian authorities were to contact us, we are going to collaborate with them."

Belgian police have not reached out to the Commission to obtain information or conduct searches, the spokesperson said. The criminal probe is said to cover Reynders's mandate as Commissioner and his previous position in domestic politics.

According to the information by Follow The Money and Le Soir, Belgian authorities waited until Reydners left office on Sunday to go ahead with the raids. Before then, the Commissioner had been protected by immunity, similar to members of the parliament.

The immunity continues to apply once they depart the executive but only for acts performed