Belgian authorities announce arrests of several individuals linked to alleged bribery within the European Parliament.
Belgian authorities reported that several people have been arrested as part of a corruption investigation targeting the European Parliament and the Chinese tech giant Huawei.
Belgium’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office stated on Thursday that the suspects, accused of engaging in “active corruption” within the European Parliament to benefit Huawei, were detained following searches at 21 locations in Belgium and Portugal.
“The corruption is alleged to have occurred regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present, under the guise of commercial lobbying, and involved various methods, such as payments for political positions, excessive gifts including food and travel expenses, and regular invitations to football matches,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Prosecutors noted that investigators believe the illicit payments may have been “mixed in” with financial flows tied to conference expenses to obscure their true purpose.
“From this perspective, the investigation also aims to uncover any evidence of money laundering, if applicable,” the prosecutor’s office added.
Following the raids, a judge overseeing the case ordered the offices of two parliamentary assistants at the EU Parliament headquarters in Strasbourg, France, to be sealed, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors stated that they could not disclose further details, including the identities of the suspects, to preserve the presumption of innocence and the integrity of the investigation.
Huawei and representatives of the EU Parliament did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s requests for comment.
The investigation comes less than three years after several EU lawmakers and aides were implicated in an alleged bribery scandal involving officials from Qatar and Morocco.
Five current and former Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) – Greece’s Eva Kaili, Italy’s Pier Antonio Panzeri and Andrea Cozzolino, and Belgium’s Marc Tarabella and Marie Arena – have been charged in the case.
Panzeri reached a plea deal with prosecutors in 2023, admitting his involvement in corruption.
None of the other four MEPs have been convicted.
Both the Qatari and Moroccan governments have denied any wrongdoing in the case.
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