Radja Nainggolan arrived just in time at the Brussels correctional court on Thursday, November 13, 2026, to face questioning during his trial for alleged money laundering linked to international drug trafficking, according to Sporza.
- Squad Availability: The ongoing legal proceedings involving Radja Nainggolan relate to his time with Patro Eisden Maasmechelen, while he continues to feature in club fixtures.
The Patro Eisden midfielder missed the opening day of the proceedings two weeks prior. As closing arguments and questioning began, the former Red Devil entered the courtroom alongside his legal team, Omar and Mounir Souidi, as reported by Sporza.
Investigators first placed Nainggolan under scrutiny following a massive police operation in January 2025, which followed months of wiretaps targeting a cocaine smuggling ring operating out of the Port of Antwerp, according to Sporza and TV Limburg.
Authorities discovered that Nainggolan received more than 100,000 euros over several months from Nasr-Eddine Sekkaki, the younger brother of known criminal Ashraf Sekkaki, before repaying the funds in installments to the mother of the Sekkaki brothers, as noted by Sporza.
While the Brussels public prosecutor maintains that the midfielder is not directly involved in the underlying drug trade, the state has pressed charges of money laundering. Prosecutors have requested a two-year prison sentence alongside a 105,000 euro fine, as reported by Sporza and TV Limburg.
| Legal Metric | Prosecutor Demand | Defense Position |
|---|---|---|
| Requested Prison Sentence | 2 Years | Full Acquittal |
| Financial Penalty | 105,000 Euros | Dismissal of Charges |
| Primary Allegation | Money Laundering | No Knowledge of Criminal Origin |
Radja Nainggolan said that he had needed money and did not stop to question who, what, or how.
Defense attorney Omar Souidi contextualized his client’s financial pressures by pointing to heavy alimony obligations of 45,000 euros per month that became unsustainable as his peak professional earnings declined, according to VoetbalNieuws.be. Souidi further detailed Nainggolan’s upbringing in Antwerp’s Chicagoblok before rising through Germinal Beerschot and moving to Italy to launch his professional career, as reported by VoetbalNieuws.
The defense argued that the player had no awareness of the illicit origins of the funds provided by Nasr-Eddine Sekkaki and contended that investigators used the athlete’s high profile to draw excessive attention to the case, pressing the court for a full acquittal, as reported by Sporza and VoetbalNieuws.be.
Radja Nainggolan is in a surreal nightmare, said Omar Souidi, as reported by Sporza.
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