Colombian authorities have reportedly seized luxury properties and vehicles belonging to Prince Henri de Croÿ as part of a major investigation into suspected money laundering activities.
The operation, carried out on Thursday by the Colombian judiciary alongside the government agency responsible for seized assets, targeted eleven properties linked to the Belgian aristocrat in Cartagena and on the island of Barú, HLN reported.
Among the seized assets are five luxury boutique hotels, high-end SUVs, motorcycles and a commercial company.
Henri de Croÿ, a descendant of a well-known Belgian noble family, has long attracted controversy and is sometimes referred to in media reports as the "Black Prince" because of alleged links to dubious financial activities.
He previously came under scrutiny in connection with the "Dubai Papers" scandal in 2018, an international investigation into alleged tax evasion and money-laundering schemes benefiting wealthy European clients.
In 2012, De Croÿ was sentenced in Belgium to three years in prison for fraud, although he was acquitted on appeal in 2015.
According to Colombian media, investigators suspect the seized South American assets were purchased with funds linked to criminal money-laundering networks.
"The judiciary is investigating his suspected ties to major transnational money laundering organisations," Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported.
The hotels will remain operational for now under temporary state administration while the courts determine whether the assets should be permanently confiscated by the Colombian state.
