Family members and close associates of Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi are the subject of a Belgian judicial investigation into alleged money laundering and the suspected plundering of mining assets.
Belgium’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that investigators carried out simultaneous searches on Wednesday in municipalities across Brussels, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant as part of a judicial investigation launched in response to complaints filed by non-governmental organisations in July 2025.
While prosecutors declined to disclose details of the case, citing the confidentiality of the investigation and the presumption of innocence, Belgian media reported that the searches targeted properties linked to relatives and associates of Tshisekedi.
According to the reports, nine individuals, all Belgian nationals, are under investigation over allegations that they were involved in the plundering of mines in the mineral-rich provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba in southern DRC.
Investigators are also examining allegations that proceeds from the exploitation of Congolese mining resources were laundered through networks linked to the suspects, the reports said.
Media reports said Tshisekedi and his wife rent a property in the Brussels municipality of Uccle, while their five children are reportedly enrolled in schools in Belgium.
However, neither the Congolese presidency nor Belgian authorities have indicated that the president himself is a target of the investigation.
The case has drawn attention because of its alleged links to individuals close to the Congolese presidency and comes as scrutiny of governance and transparency in the country’s mining sector continues to intensify.
DRC holds some of the world’s largest reserves of copper, cobalt and other strategic minerals that are critical to the global energy transition.
The mining sector accounts for a substantial share of the country’s export earnings and has long attracted the interest of foreign investors, governments and advocacy groups concerned about resource governance.
JN/APA