Belgian police searched multiple European Commission offices in Brussels on Thursday as part of an investigation into the 2024 sale of EU-owned buildings to the Belgian state.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is leading the probe, confirmed it is conducting “evidence-collecting activities” in relation to an ongoing investigation but declined to provide further details in order to protect proceedings.
According to reporting by the Financial Times, the searches took place at multiple Commission locations, including the budget department. The investigation concerns the sale of 23 Commission buildings to Belgium’s sovereign wealth fund, SFPIM, in a transaction reported to be worth approximately €900 million.
A European Commission spokesperson told POLITICO that the property sale followed established procedures and protocols and was conducted in compliance with applicable financial regulations. The spokesperson added that the Commission is committed to transparency and will cooperate fully with EPPO and the competent Belgian authorities.
The transaction took place during the previous Commission mandate, when Johannes Hahn served as commissioner responsible for budget matters.
Neither SFPIM nor Hahn immediately responded to requests for comment, according to media reports. Belgian federal police and the EU’s anti-fraud office, OLAF, also declined to comment.
No charges have been announced.
The EPPO is an independent body responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes affecting the European Union’s financial interests. At this stage, authorities have indicated that the investigation remains focused on gathering evidence.
Belgian police searched multiple European Commission offices in Brussels on Thursday as part of an investigation into the 2024 sale of EU-owned buildi...
Russia’s car market is continuing to receive tens of thousands of foreign-brand vehicles via China despite sanctions imposed after Moscow’s full-s...
Azerbaijan’s State Security Service has filed charges against a group of people accused of belonging to a criminal network alleged to have attempted...
Russia has fully blocked WhatsApp for failing to comply with local legislation, the Kremlin said on Thursday, marking a sharp escalation in Moscow’s...
Norwegian police searched the homes of former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland on Thursday (12 February) as part of an ongoing investigation into all...
Russia’s car market is continuing to receive tens of thousands of foreign-brand vehicles via China despite sanctions imposed after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a journalistic investigation has found.
Azerbaijan’s State Security Service has filed charges against a group of people accused of belonging to a criminal network alleged to have attempted to forcibly seize state power. It's claimed they tried to alter the constitutional structure, with the support of foreign intelligence agencies.
Norwegian police searched the homes of former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland on Thursday (12 February) as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged ties between prominent Norwegians and the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, authorities and media reports said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has chosen his teenage daughter as his successor, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Ankara on Wednesday, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace, marking the start of high-level talks between the two NATO allies.
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader said on Tuesday that negotiations with the United States must remain focused on the nuclear issue and be grounded in realism, as Washington and Tehran prepare to resume talks mediated by Oman.
James Van Der Beek, who rose to fame as Dawson Leery in the hit teen drama Dawson’s Creek, has died aged 48 following a battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said a bridge project linking Canada’s Ontario province with the U.S. state of Michigan would contribute to cooperation between the two countries.
The suspect in a deadly school shooting in western Canada was an 18-year-old woman who allegedly killed her mother and stepbrother before attacking her former school. Investigators have not provided a motive for what is being described as one of the worst mass killings in Canada.
Norwegian police searched the homes of former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland on Thursday (12 February) as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged ties between prominent Norwegians and the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, authorities and media reports said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has chosen his teenage daughter as his successor, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday.
Polls have close in Bangladesh's first general election since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s political transition. Turnout reached 47.91% by early afternoon, according to partial data from election authorities.
Stalled U.S.–Iran talks and mounting regional tensions are exposing a growing strategic rift between Washington and Tel Aviv over how to confront Tehran, political analyst James M. Dorsey says, exposing stark differences in approach at a critical moment.
A Republican lawmaker accused on Wednesday (11 February) Attorney General Pam Bondi of concealing the names of Jeffrey Epstein’s powerful associates. The claim was made during a heated House hearing on the Justice Department’s handling of the files.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment