Belgian police carry out a massive raid in corruption investigation linked to the EU Parliament – Firstpost

The Belgian police carried out raids in multiple locations on Thursday (March 13) as part of an investigation into alleged corruption linked to lobbying efforts.

Several people were arrested for questioning their suspicion of participation in active corruption within the European Parliament, as well as the falsification and use of counterfeit documents, said the office of the federal prosecutor of Belgium in a statement.

Around 100 officers participated in the operation, which included 21 searches in Belgium and Portugal, prosecutors said.

Belgian newspaper Soir and research website Follow the money He informed that the investigation focuses on the Chinese technological giant Huawei and its lobbying activities in Brussels since 2021. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

The raids occur more than two years after the “Qatargate” scandal, in which several European legislators were accused of accepting payments to promote the interests of Qatar and Morocco; The allegations of both countries have denied.

Prosecutors did not reveal details about the people or companies involved, but said that the alleged corruption, carried out by a “criminal organization,” had been ongoing since 2021.

The authorities said that the scheme involved several forms of bribery, including payments for political positions, excessive gifts such as trips and entertainment, and invitations to sporting events aimed at influencing political decisions. The alleged bribes disguised themselves as expenses of the conference and were channeled through intermediaries, prosecutors said, added that they were also investigating money laundering potential.

The Belgian media reported that the investigation focuses on a former parliamentary assistant who worked as director of Public Affairs of Huawei at that time. The police arrested several lobbyists, as soir, and expected to appear before a judge to interrogate him.

None of the detainees on Thursday morning was sitting EU legislators, AFP He cited a police source saying.

A European Parliament spokesman said he was aware of the investigation and that he would fully cooperate with the judicial authorities if requested.

With AFP tickets