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The former European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, who since December 2024 was being investigated for alleged money laundering, has been formally accused of that crime and of “another or others” not specified, as Belgian newspapers revealed this Tuesday. Le Soir, Le Vif, De Standaard and the research environment Follow The Money.
The accusation took place on October 16 after the Belgian politician was questioned by a judge training.
Reynders acquired a certain notoriety in Spain during his mandate as European Commissioner for Justice by mediating, without success, in the negotiations between PSOE and the PP to agree on a reform of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), the highest Spanish judicial body.
Reynders’ wife, Bernadette Prignon, an honorary judge at the Court of Appeal in Liège, Belgium, was questioned shortly after Reynders but has not yet been charged, according to The evening.
Neither of them wanted to make statements to the press, adds the same media.
The formal accusation does not eliminate the presumption of innocencebut it means that the investigating judge considers that there is compelling evidence of guilt. In addition, it grants the suspect rights such as the possibility of requesting access to the case file.
The Belgian politician, who also held the position of Minister of Finance (1999-2011) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2011-2019), was commissioner until November 30, 2024.
It began to be investigated after a complaint filed by the Financial Information Processing Unit (Ctif) and the Belgian National Lottery, which detected suspicious transactions in which it had been involved. large sums used for the purchase of electronic lottery.
Last August it came to light, on the other hand, that the Belgian Prosecutor’s Office had opened an investigation into the ING bank in Belgium for possible influence peddling in the framework of the case of alleged money laundering.
Reynders and the CGPJ
Reynders’ mediation in the conflict for the renewal of the CGPJ had as its main consequence keep the dialogue alive between PSOE and PPdespite the prolonged institutional blockade.
During his tenure, Reynders managed to make the crisis in the Spanish judicial leadership internationally visible and pressured to seek agreements, but the disagreements between the parties and their opposing demands prevented the situation from being unblocked.
This effort placed the European commissioner as a visible actor and allowed, temporarily, to stabilize the negotiation process, although without concrete results before his departure.
With the early departure of Reynders, European mediation passed into the hands of the community vice president Vera Jourovawhich generated uncertainty about the continuity and effectiveness of the process.
Under his impetus, on June 25, 2024, an agreement was finally reached between PSOE and PP for its renewal, putting an end to an interim situation that seriously affected the functioning of Justice and caused more than 90 vacancies in senior judicial positions.
He covenant It meant the equitable distribution of the 20 members—ten chosen by each party—with the commitment to open a process in the future for judges to participate more directly in the election of these members, an issue highly demanded by European bodies.
However, the pending reforms on the election system and the coverage of dozens of vacancies in courts still remain to be resolved, as well as the challenge of ensuring that the new stage allows for greater independence and efficiency in the Spanish Justice system.