Corruption scandal: Ex-EU Commissioner Reynders in the sight of the investigators!

Corruption scandal: Ex-EU Commissioner Reynders in the sight of the investigators!

The former EU Commissioner Didier Reynders, an emigrated Belgian politician who was responsible for the judiciary and the rule of law, is suspected of doing so. As the news platform Follow the Money and the Belgian newspaper Le Soir report, Reynders was heard by the police and searched for several of his apartments. The investigations, which are headed by the Attorney General in Brussels, raise questions after Reynders is said to have bought in sales outlets "E-Tickets"-vouchers worth between 1 and 100 euros-which can be transferred to a game account at the National Oeters. These could have been purchased in cash, with the profits being paid into Reynders' digital account before they were transferred to its checking account. It remains critical where he had the funds for the acquisition of these tickets, as was emphasized in the report on the case.

Investigations and political consequences

already left a controversial impression during his term from 2019 to 2024. According to the EU Commission, there is currently no further information about the case, but the Belgian authorities are being worked on if necessary. Reynders was not only justice commissioner, but had previously served as Belgian finance minister and Foreign Minister. The political waters of the European Union could stir up again after a corruption scandal about the then EU parliamentary vice president Eva Kaili made headlines. If the suspicions against Reynders are hardened, this could represent the second major scandal within EU policy, which would have devastating effects for the integrity of the institutions, as the small newspaper found.

The current events show that the EU and its institutions are under growing pressure from the public. The next steps of Reynders and the further developments of this ominous history will be observed closely, since the political and legal consequences could not only be important for the politician concerned, but also for the entire EU policy.