Didier Reynders, the former EU Commissioner for Justice known for his attacks on Poland, has been charged in a money laundering investigation. Investigators are also reportedly examining Reynders’ links to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Both men were connected to an art foundation that, years ago, the Russian oligarch allegedly used for laundering money.
In early December 2024, Belgian police carried out operations at several locations linked to former Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders.
Authorities suspect that money laundering may have taken place during Reynders’ political career. The case involves the National Lottery, which he once headed. For nearly a decade, Reynders is alleged to have purchased lottery tickets using funds of unclear origin, later transferring the “cleaned” winnings into his own account.
Law and Justice (PiS) politicians, who for years had been targeted by Reynders, demanded that the matter be clarified in the European Parliament, noting that the former commissioner had played a key role in hybrid attacks against Poland.
What connects Reynders and Deripaska?
A few days ago, the portal Follow The Money reported that Belgian authorities had officially charged Reynders with money laundering. However, the former commissioner has not been arrested.
It still remains unclear where Reynders obtained the funds involved in the scheme. He claimed that they came “from the sale of artworks and antiques.” After searches at an antique shop “belonging to an art dealer friendly with Reynders,” prosecutors, in a separate investigation, began examining the former commissioner’s ties to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
“Reynders and Deripaska were linked to an art foundation located in the wealthy Brussels district of Uccle, where Reynders lived,” wrote the portal ftm.eu.
In 2014, Belgian financial intelligence services stated that this foundation had been used by Deripaska for money laundering.
Polish MEPs question von der Leyen
In light of these revelations, Polish MEPs Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik have called on the European Commission to provide explanations.
They noted that when Reynders served as Commissioner, Deripaska was under EU sanctions, and several countries were investigating the oligarch for allegedly evading them – including through real estate transactions. Wąsik and Kamiński asked whether the European Commission was aware of Reynders’ ties to Deripaska and whether it knew that the art foundation was “financed by individuals linked to Russian disinformation campaigns.”
“Does the Commission intend to conduct an audit of Reynders’ decisions and actions – including those concerning Poland, which has been the main obstacle to imperialist Russia and the target of Reynders’ unfair attacks – to determine whether his actions were inspired by Moscow?” the Polish MEPs asked.
Oleg Deripaska was for many years one of Vladimir Putin’s most trusted men. Before the Smolensk air disaster, Deripaska’s factories carried out maintenance work on the Tu-154 aircraft no. 101.