Belgian police raided the houses of multiple family members of Félix Tshisekedi in and around Brussels on Wednesday, as part of an investigation into money laundering by the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Belgian police raided multiple houses in Brussels, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant as part of an investigation launched following complaints from Congolese NGOs and former directors of the state-owned mining company Gécamines in 2025, confirmed the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office.
"In order to safeguard the confidentiality of the investigation and the presumption of innocence, no further details or information will be provided," the Public Prosecutor's Office said in a press release.
Nine family members and confidants of Tshisekedi are being investigated, as they are accused of playing a role in the plundering of several mines in the Congolese provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba. All nine hold Belgian nationality.
Tshisekedi and his wife rent a property in the Brussels neighbourhood of Uccle, with his five children reportedly being enrolled in schools in Belgium.
Youth in Belgium
Tshisekedi spent part of his youth in Belgium, as his father, Étienne Tshisekedi, sought political asylum in the country. Father Tshisekedi was a longtime member of the government of Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, but became his primary opposition figure after the two fell out in 1980.
The investigation comes at a precarious time for Tshisekedi, as former Congolese president Joseph Kabila announced the formation of a political and paramilitary group, the Front pour la Refondation de la Nation (FRN), on Tuesday, with the intention of overthrowing Tshisekedi. The Rwanda-backed rebels of M23, who controlled parts of the eastern provinces of Congo, have joined Kabila.
Kabila ruled Congo from 2001 until 2019, having taken over power from his father following his assassination. Kabila handed power to Tshisekedi in 2019 after an election widely considered fraudulent and corrupt.
Kabila was named parliamentarian for life, but was sentenced to death in 2025 for war crimes during the ongoing conflict in the east of the country.
