Former Belgian EU Commissioner Didier Reynders, who is being investigated for money laundering, had ties with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, Belgian media reported. It is specified that Deripaska is close to the Kremlin and is among those sanctioned by the EU, BTA reported.
A journalistic investigation has found that Deripaska maintained non-profit organizations in Belgium until 2018 that ran a museum in a suburb of Brussels. 878 thousand euros were transferred from this organization to another local structure that worked in the interests of the far right and spread Russian disinformation and propaganda against people from the LGBT+ community. An associate of Reynders has since been appointed museum director.
In 2014, the Belgian anti-money laundering authorities launched an investigation into the case. The investigation was later dropped, as Reynders was then Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Reynders has declined to comment on the journalistic investigation. Earlier this year, local media reported that several banks, including the one that served Reynders, would be questioned in the Federal Parliament on September 16.
The former European Commissioner's bank is suspected of influence peddling after failing to report Reynders for possible money laundering for years. Belgian authorities found that Reynders had been depositing significant amounts of cash into his bank account, and after being questioned about the origin of the funds, he changed his approach and began buying lottery tickets with cash, transferring the winnings to a bank deposit.