Police in Belgium have launched a money laundering investigation into the Antwerp-based Omega Diamonds amid reports that company executives may have made "billions" of euros by buying the precious stones on the black market. According to press reports in Belgium, authorities suspect two Omega employees of buying diamonds on the cheap from Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then selling them on to firms based in Tel Aviv, Geneva and Dubai.
The men are then alleged to have laundered the proceeds from the sales. The Gazet van Antwerpen said the size and scale of the alleged scheme, and its profits, are not yet known. Reports say police first became suspicious after Belgian customs officials intercepted an illegal diamond shipment. Authorities are said to have confiscated around €100m (£89m) worth of the precious stones from the company as part on an on-going investigation.
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