Belgian prosecutors announced on Thursday that they’ve arrested several people for questioning over suspected corruption in the European Parliament. They confirmed that the police searched Huawei’s offices in Brussels. They conducted 21 searches in Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia, and Portugal as part of a secret operation. They’re looking for evidence of possible crimes like bribery, forgery, money laundering, and organised crime.
This news came from the investigative site Follow the Money and two Belgian newspapers, Le Soir and Knack. Reports suggest that Huawei lobbyists might have paid MEPs bribes to sway EU decisions. Sources say about 15 current and former MEPs could be involved. Belgian authorities will ask the Parliament to lift their immunity if any current members are implicated.
Prosecutors haven’t shared details about the individuals involved or commented further. They believe that from 2021 until now, corruption and forgery have happened regularly and under the radar. Apparently, it was all disguised as commercial lobbying, taking forms like paying people for political stances or offering lavish gifts like food, travel expenses, and invites to football matches. The prosecutors also mentioned seizing several documents and items to check for signs of money laundering.
