Belgian prosecutors said on Thursday that many people were arrested in a graft investigation related to the European Parliament and Chinese technology giants.
The office of the federal prosecutor said that the suspects are allegedly to be interrogated “for alleged involvement in active corruption within the European Parliament” for the use of forgery and forgery “.
Further allegations include payment in exchange for promoting “purely private commercial interests” and “excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or accepting regular invitations for football matches.”
The prosecutor’s office confirmed that the alleged bribe “is said to have benefited Huawei” and is believed to have been running regularly since 2021.
The office states that around 100 police officers conducted 21 raids in both Belgium and Portugal.
Who is behind the scam?
Details about the arrested persons have not been released.
A police source told reporters that none of the European Union MPs are from European Union MPs. But Belgian media said that more than a dozen MPs were on the radar of detectives.
The media described the suspects as a “lobist” and said that one of the central data in the investigation is a former parliamentary assistant who previously served as the director of Huawei’s European Public Affairs.
Huawei said that it took seriously the allegations of bribery and would communicate with the authorities to fully understand the situation.
The telecom company said in a statement, “Huawei has a zero tolerance policy towards corruption or other wrongdoings, and we are committed to following all the applicable laws and rules.”
Transparency advocates say the new allegations “make fun of democracy in the European Parliament.”
“For a very long time, MEPS has taken a careless approach to morality and exists in the culture of impurity,” Nicholas Aasa said, Director, Director Transparen,
The latest incident came only two years after the “Cuttergate” Scandal Rock Brussels. In that regard, many European Union MPs were accused of paying to promote the interests of Qatar and Morocco. Both countries denied wrongdoing.
The article was updated to include Huawei’s comment on March 14, 2025.
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