Belgian police on March 13 searched more than 20 addresses, including the Brussels offices of Chinese tech giant Huawei, as part of a corruption investigation involving the European Parliament. About this reported the Politico.
"Authorities are investigating previous allegations of large-scale corruption, document forgery, and money laundering in the European Parliament", — said a representative of the Belgian prosecutor's office. Several people were arrested.
The European Parliament is already under scrutiny due to the influence of foreign states on EU decision-making as part of the Qatargate scandal, which erupted in December 2022, when Gulf countries were accused of trying to influence Brussels and the European Parliament, including through bribes and gifts through intermediary organizations, the publication notes.
But the new investigation focuses on Huawei, the Chinese tech giant that was once a powerful lobbying force in Europe but has faced problems in recent years over its ties to the Chinese government.
The Belgian prosecutor's office said in a statement that the alleged offenses occurred "regularly and very covertly from 2021 to the present under the guise of commercial lobbying."
Among the incidents being investigated are “reward for making political decisions, excessive gifts such as meals and travel expenses, and regular invitations to football matches to promote purely private commercial interests in the context of political decisions,” the statement said.
Victor Negrescu, the parliament’s vice president for transparency and anti-corruption, said the allegations “are deeply concerning,” adding: "We cannot allow individuals under indictment to influence decisions and develop European legislation."
Documents and sources from Politico revealed that Belgium's State Security Service has invited former employees of the company's lobbying unit to be questioned in the heart of Brussels' European Quarter as part of an intelligence-gathering operation.
The news has caused a stir in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where members of the chamber are meeting this week for a plenary session.
Dutch liberal MEP Bart Grotheijs said he expects “a clear and decisive response from European Parliament President Roberta Mezzola: "Trust in our institution is at stake, so there are no "ifs" or "buts" - clear and decisive measures must be taken."
Daniel Freund, a German member of the Greens group in parliament, said: "Unfortunately, this is not a surprise. Preventing corruption in the EU is not enough."
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