(Reuters) -The Brussels Public Prosecutor's office said on Friday it had opened an investigation into potential money laundering activities at the Belgian unit of French payments processor Worldline.

The investigation follows articles published in Le Soir and De Standaard which said that the company had processed payments for companies involved in illegal activities, the Brussels Public prosecutor said in a statement.

The investigation has been entrusted to the Federal Judicial Police, it said.

In response to the media reports, Worldline has said that, since 2023, it has strengthened merchant risk controls and terminated non-compliant client relationships. Worldline could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.