Belgian police have raided the homes of relatives and associates of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi as part of a money-laundering investigation linked to mining revenues, bringing scrutiny to the handling of wealth in one of Africa’s most resource-rich countries.
- Belgian police have raided the homes of relatives and associates of DRC President Félix Tshisekedi as part of a money-laundering investigation linked to mining revenues.
- The raids were carried out following complaints by Congolese NGOs and former mining company directors about alleged misappropriation of mining resources and money laundering.
- Nine relatives and associates, reportedly all Belgian nationals, are under investigation for allegedly plundering mines in the DRC's Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces.
- The investigation is ongoing, and there is no evidence yet proven in court against those targeted.
“In order to safeguard the confidentiality of the investigation and the presumption of innocence, no further details or information will be provided,” Belgium’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
The searches took place on Wednesday in Brussels and surrounding areas, including Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant, following complaints filed in 2025 by Congolese non-governmental organisations and former directors of state-owned mining company Gécamines, according to Reuters.
Belgian lawyer Bernard Maingain and France-based Congolese lawyer Hervé Diakese, who represent the group of NGOs known as DESC/RDC, said the complaint concerns the alleged misappropriation of mining revenues and resources belonging to local communities, as well as the laundering of proceeds.
“The complaint in Belgium concerns the capture of resources by Belgian citizens and the laundering of funds derived from the misappropriation of mining revenues and resources belonging to local communities, to the detriment of the Congolese state,” Diakese said.
He alleged that the proceeds had enabled those involved to maintain lifestyles far beyond what their legitimate incomes would support.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
Mining wealth at the centre of the investigation
The complaint was filed in Belgium because several of the individuals named are Belgian citizens residing in the country, the lawyers said.
Nine relatives and associates of Tshisekedi, all reportedly Belgian nationals, are being investigated over alleged involvement in the plundering of mines in the DRC’s Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces, according to media reports.
The Brussels Times reported that Tshisekedi and his wife rent a property in Brussels’ Uccle neighbourhood, while their five children are reportedly enrolled in schools in Belgium.
A spokesperson for Belgium’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that searches had been conducted at several addresses as part of a money-laundering investigation stemming from the NGOs’ complaint.
The allegations have not been established in court, and the searches do not in themselves prove wrongdoing by those targeted.
The investigation comes as the DRC faces mounting political and security pressures, including an armed rebellion in its eastern region led by forces associated with former president Joseph Kabila, a deadly Ebola outbreak and growing opposition criticism over allegations that Tshisekedi intends to seek a third term.
The DRC is a major global producer of copper and cobalt, minerals essential to electricity networks, electric vehicles and other industrial technologies. Its vast mineral wealth has long contrasted with persistent poverty and concerns about how resource revenues benefit the state and local communities.
Belgium ruled the Congo as a colony from 1908 until the country gained independence on June 30, 1960, following an earlier period when the territory was controlled personally by King Leopold II.
The latest investigation places alleged financial misconduct involving Congolese mining wealth under scrutiny in the former colonial power, although the colonial relationship itself is not evidence of wrongdoing in the current case.