Belgian authorities on Wednesday, October 14, searched several properties linked to DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi and members of his family as part of a money laundering investigation, local media reported. The probe was triggered by complaints filed by non-governmental organisations in July 2025, Belgian newspaper La Libre reported on Wednesday. The Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that searches were conducted simultaneously in Brussels and several municipalities in Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant, involving residences suspected of being linked to the president and his inner circle. ALSO READ: Protests against Tshisekedi’s proposed constitutional changes met with arrests, death Several dozen police officers reportedly took part in the searches. Authorities have not disclosed what was seized or identified all the individuals whose properties were targeted. In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said the investigation was opened at its request following complaints filed by NGOs in July 2025. It declined to provide further details, citing the secrecy of the investigation and the presumption of innocence of the suspects. According to La Libre, the searches targeted addresses linked to members of Tshisekedi’s family. The investigation follows allegations that relatives of the president benefited from questionable mining-related deals in southern DR Congo. In early July 2025, Belgian lawyers Bernard and Brieuc Maingain filed a complaint against nine members of Tshisekedi’s family on behalf of several civil society organisations in Katanga and four former directors of DR Congo's state-owned mining company Gécamines. The complaint accused the relatives of involvement in the alleged plundering of mineral resources in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga provinces, which host major mining operations. Those named reportedly include the First Lady Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi, the president’s sons, brothers, nephews, sister-in-law.
