Belgian police raid European Commission over sale of properties

Belgian police have raided the European Commission in a probe looking at potential irregularities in the sale of real estate assets.

According to two people familiar with the operation, searches were conducted on Thursday morning at different Commission premises in Brussels, including the budget department.

The investigation concerns the sale of EU real estate properties, the people said, which took place during the former Commission mandate when Johannes Hahn was budget commissioner.

Hahn was in charge of steering the EU’s €1tn budget until 2024. After the end of his mandate, he was named the EU’s special envoy for Cyprus.