Antwerp detective arrested for money laundering

A top Antwerp detective and a diamond dealer have been arrested on suspicion of money laundering, the city’s prosecutor has confirmed. The detective is the former head of the organised economic and financial crime unit of the Antwerp federal prosecutor’s office, at one time responsible for investigations into suspected fraud in the diamond sector.

His unit was responsible for solving the robbery of the century – the 2003 theft of at least €100 million in gems and cash from the Antwerp Diamond Center in the middle of the diamond quarter by a gang of Italian thieves. They had been resident in the neighbourhood preparing the heist for three years.

“There is currently no evidence that other police officials are involved in this case,” spokesperson Paul Van Tighelt said. “This is also not a blow in the fight against diamond fraud, as some have made out. The activities of the unit will continue as usual.”

The investigation started in January, triggered by a suspect financial transaction flagged by the financial institution concerned. The diamond dealer was later arrested and, during a search of his home at the weekend, a quantity of gold and diamonds, said to be worth half a million euros, was found.

The prosecutor’s office will be interested as to whether the dealer is in any way connected to the disappearance of at least €1.6 million in diamonds from police custody. Those diamonds were seized by Antwerp detectives in 2004 as part of a fraud investigation.

Four diamond companies were at that time accused of trading in €55 million worth of blood diamonds from Angola. Two of the companies were later excluded from the investigation, but they received diamonds of much lesser value back than had been seized. The companies accused the authorities of switching the stones and filed a complaint of theft.

photo: Antwerp’s diamond district