Charges against former Commissioner for Justice for money laundering and his ties to sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska

Priority question for written answer P-004435/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Mariusz Kamiński (ECR), Maciej Wąsik (ECR)

In December 2024, just days after Didier Reynders' term as Commissioner for Justice came to an end, the Belgian authorities carried out a search of his home in connection with suspicions of his involvement in money laundering[1]. After months of investigation, the former Commissioner was charged with money laundering. The funds were allegedly derived from the sale of works of art and antiques. The police searched the home of Reynders' long-time confidant and the shop of an art dealer with whom he was friends. According to the media, the prosecutor's office is also investigating Reynders' links to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch close to Putin, in separate proceeding[2]. Reynders and Deripaska both have a common interest in an arts foundation in the affluent Brussels district of Uccle, where Reynders lives. It was run by an adviser to Commissioner Reynders[3]. During Reynders' term as Commissioner, Oleg Deripaska was sanctioned by the EU[4], the US, Canada and New Zealand. The United States investigated Deripaska for circumventing sanctions through real estate transactions[5].

• 1.Was the Commission aware of Commissioner Reynders' links with Deripaska, an oligarch close to Putin who is subject to EU and US sanctions, as confirmed by a 2014 report by Belgium's anti-money laundering authority (CTIF)?
• 2.Was the Commission aware that the aforementioned foundation was funded by individuals linked to Russian disinformation campaigns?
• 3.Does the Commission intend to perform an audit of Reynders' decisions and actions - including those concerning Poland, which is the main obstacle to imperialist Russia and the target of Reynders' unjustified attacks - in order to determine whether his actions were inspired by Moscow?

Submitted: 10.11.2025

• [1] https://www.belganewsagency.eu/didier-reynders-placed-under-suspicion-of-money-laundering
• [2] https://www.7sur7.be/belgique/les-liens-de-didier-reynders-avec-un-oligarque-russe-pointes-du-doigt-par-une-enquete~a5cadff4/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fhttps://www.google.com%2F
• [3] https://www.ftm.eu/articles/reynders-charged-in-money-laundering-probe
• [4] https://data.europa.eu/apps/eusanctionstracker/subjects/138212
• [5] https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/russian-oligarch-oleg-vladimirovich-deripaska-and-associates-indicted-sanctions-evasion-and