BRUSSELS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Belgian police raided European Commission offices on Thursday over potential irregularities in the sale of real estate assets, the Financial Times reported, citing sources
Belgian Police Conduct Raids on EU Offices and Wealth Fund Amid Fraud Probe
Investigation into Possible Fraud
BRUSSELS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Belgian police have raided offices of the European Commission and the Belgian sovereign wealth fund SFPIM as part of a criminal investigation into possible irregularities in the sale of real estate assets.
Details of the Inquiry
The inquiry, first reported by Britain's Financial Times, concerns the 2024 sale of 23 Commission buildings to the Belgian state, according to the Commission.
Responses from Authorities
The FT, citing sources, said 23 concerned buildings were acquired by SFPIM for 900 million euros in 2024.
Cooperation with Investigation
"As far as the European Commission is concerned, the sale of the buildings followed established procedures and protocols, and we are confident that the process was conducted in a compliant manner," it said in a statement.
The EU's executive body and SFPIM said they were cooperating fully with the investigation.
The investigation is being led by EPPO, which would not give any further information regarding an ongoing investigation.
Belgian police declined to comment. The Belgian prosecutor's office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; editing by Alex Richardson and Mark Heinrich)
