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Belgium. “Teflon Didier” under the scrutiny of the authorities. Who is the former EU Commissioner for Justice?

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Belgian police searched the homes of Didier Reynders just days after his term as EU justice commissioner ended. What is the balance of activity of “Teflon Didier”? What “was the reason for his success”?

On Tuesday evening, the police searched two of the politician's houses – in the luxurious town of Uccle on the outskirts of Brussels and a holiday home in Vissoul. Reynders himself was to be interrogated late into the night. “The searches are part of a months-long investigation into money laundering,” the Follow the Money website reported on Tuesday, citing its sources. “It is suspected that (Reynders – ed.) has been laundering money for years through the Belgian National Lottery, for which he was responsible in 2007–2011,” we read.

For almost a decade, the former commissioner allegedly bought lottery tickets worth between 1 and 100 euros and then transferred their value to his National Lottery account. Reynders, as Minister of Finance, was responsible for this institution, but did not supervise it at the time when the violations occurred. Using his lottery account – and for cash – Reynders allegedly participated in lottery games and transferred the winnings, in the form of already laundered money, to his private account. “It is alleged that he continued this practice during his time as commissioner,” Follow the Money reports.

Didier ReyndersPAP/EPA/JULIEN WARNAND

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READ MORE: The police searched the houses of the former EU commissioner

Didier Reynders, now 66, is a lawyer by profession. He graduated in law from the University of Liege (1981), with which he later worked as a lecturer. In the years 1981-1985 he ran his own law firm, then he was the head of the Belgian railways (in the years 1986-1991) and the national airline association (1991-93). From the late 1980s, he served as a city councilor in Liege, and then from 1992 he was continuously elected to the federal House of Representatives.

Reynders – two decades in the Belgian government

In 1999, he became Minister of Finance in Guy Verhofstadt's cabinet and held this position until 2011. In the meantime, he also held the office of Minister for Institutional Reforms (2004-2011) and was also Minister responsible for the Belgian National Lottery (2007-2011). In the years 2004-2011 he was the chairman of the Belgian Reform Movement. Then he headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs (2011-2014).

In 2014, he became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, and in 2018, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Defense. He held the position of deputy head of government and minister in the latter ministry until 2019. In September of the same year, he was nominated EU Commissioner for Justice.

Didier Reynders Shutterstock

SEE ALSO: Composition of the new European Commission. There is a decision of the European Parliament

“Teflon Didier” and accusations of corruption

Two Belgian daily newspapers, “L'Echo” and “De Tijd”, reported in 2019 about a preliminary investigation conducted by the prosecutor's office in connection with corruption and money laundering. The media relied on reports by a former security service agent who, in April 2019, provided law enforcement authorities with information that the politician was involved in corruption.

According to the agent, the irregularities included, among others: construction of the embassy Belgium in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The allegations concerned accepting bribes for favorable results in tenders and awarding contracts to appropriate companies. “However, there has never been clear evidence against 'Teflon Didier,' as Reynders is sometimes called in Belgium,” Follow the Money reported on Tuesday. He owes his nickname “Teflon” to his ability to recover from political scandals, according to media reports.

Reynders as EU Commissioner for Justice

After Reynders' nomination for the position of commissioner was approved, he emphasized, among other things, that his priority would be the rule of law, and the procedures carried out in connection with its violation against Poland and Hungarian will be continued. Handing over the portfolio to him, EC President Ursula von der Leyen asked the new commissioner to “ensure compliance with the rule of law throughout the Union.”

European Commission will closely monitor the situation in Poland and remains ready for talks with the Polish authorities to resolve the problems, assured the commissioner during a debate in the European Parliament on the rule of law in Poland, Hungary and Malta in 2019. Reynders then pointed out that judges who are critical of justice reforms in Poland are subject to disciplinary proceedings, which is a cause for concern.

Didier ReyndersKIKO HUESCA/EFE/PAP/EPA

SEE ALSO: Dispute over a Hungarian, an Italian and a Spanish woman. “We want to avoid what happened in Germany”

The issue of the rule of law in Poland

During his five-year term, Reynders repeatedly returned to the issue of the rule of law in Poland, including drawing attention to combining the functions of the Minister of Justice with the function of the Prosecutor General. In 2021, the commissioner noted that Zbigniew Ziobro “exercises powers directly related to the prosecutor general's office.” – May intervene in hearings on a discretionary basis. This raises concerns that political considerations may influence the course of the trials, he said.

As commissioner, Reynders visited Poland several times. In November 2021, he met in Warsaw, among others, Zbigniew Ziobro, Minister of European Union Affairs Konrad Szymański and the head of the Supreme Audit Office Marian Banaś. He came then with a clear message – sentences CJEU must be done. However, he left without reaching an agreement with the Polish government.

Marian Banaś and Didier ReyndersTwitter @marian_banas

SEE ALSO: The situation regarding the rule of law in Poland remains very problematic

During his visit to Poland at the beginning of 2024, the commissioner spoke, among other things, about the Polish government's activities aimed at fulfilling the so-called rule of law milestones necessary for EU disbursement funds for the National Reconstruction Plan. – I hope that we will soon be able to present a positive assessment of the first payment application. I am very pleased that the Polish authorities are determined to restore the rule of law in Poland in order to guarantee full compliance with the provisions of not only the Polish constitution, but also the requirements of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights, he said in January.

Politico about “what led to Reynders' success”

At the end of November, the Politico website recalled that Reynders also played an important role in supervising the EU's legal dispute with Hungary over the rule of law. “Reynders' success as commissioner was due to his staying away from political live wires, as seen in his muted responses to domestic spyware scandals,” the portal said. He added that it was a failure of the current Commissioner for Justice that he was stepping down from his position in the EU “without another high-profile project in store after failing to win the position of President of the Council of Europe for the second time in the summer.”

Council of EuropeEU

Main photo source: KIKO HUESCA/EFE/PAP/EPA



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