The National Bank has launched an investigation into the management of former European Commissioner Didier Reynders’ current account by ING Belgium, Le Soir reported on Thursday.
The bank has allegedly been aware since 2018 of frequent deposits of rather large amounts of cash by Reynders, who is suspected of money laundering. According to Le Soir, ING questioned Reynders about the deposits on several occasions since 2018.
Reynders reportedly ceased these deposits in mid-2018 and began spending large sums of cash on lottery tickets.
ING did not file a report with the Financial Information Processing Unit until 2023, even though it had launched a money laundering investigation against Reynders since March 2022, prompted by reports from the National Lottery.
The timing of these events led the National Bank to scrutinise ING’s actions, Le Soir reported, adding that both the National Bank and ING had refused to comment.
Reynders has maintained his innocence since December.
