Johannes Hahn, the European Union’s special envoy for Cyprus and former Commissioner for Budget and Administration, is linked to a widening investigation into the €900 million sale of EU properties, following police raids at European Commission offices in Brussels.
Belgian federal police carried out searches in several Commission buildings, including the budget department, as part of a probe into potential irregularities connected to property transactions completed during Hahn’s tenure overseeing the EU’s finances.
The raids, first reported by the Financial Times, relate to the 2024 sale of 23 buildings to Belgium’s state investment fund SFPIM for €900 million.
At the time, Hahn was responsible for managing the EU’s €1 trillion budget, a role he held until the end of the previous Commission’s mandate in 2024. He was subsequently appointed as the bloc’s special envoy for Cyprus.
The investigation is being led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. A spokesperson, Tine Holevoet, confirmed that “evidence-gathering activities are being carried out in the framework of an ongoing investigation”, adding that “nothing further can be disclosed at this stage so as not to jeopardise the procedure and its outcome”.
When the transaction was concluded, the European Commission said the sale had been conducted through a competitive tender process and in compliance with EU financial regulations.
The EU’s anti-fraud office, OLAF, declined to comment to the Financial Times, as did the Belgian federal police. The European Commission, SFPIM and Hahn did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The inquiry remains at an early stage, with authorities seeking to determine whether EU rules were breached in the disposal of the properties.
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