Belgian authorities conducted searches at the Brussels headquarters of Chinese tech giant Huawei and at 21 homes across Belgium—and even in Portugal—as part of a fresh corruption probe into alleged bribery of members of the European Parliament.
According to investigative reports from Follow the Money, Le Soir, and Knack, lobbyists working for Huawei are suspected of paying bribes to influence EU decision-making. Sources claim that around 15 current and former MEPs might be implicated in the case. The police operation, described as covert, targeted potential evidence of crimes including bribery, forgery, money laundering, and criminal organization, with documents and electronic devices being confiscated during the searches.
A 41-year-old lobbyist, Valerio Ottati, identified as a central figure in the investigation, is said to have joined Huawei six years ago after previously working for Italian MEPs on China dossiers. Belgian authorities have indicated that if the investigation implicates current MEPs, they will request that the European Parliament waive their immunity. A spokesperson for the Parliament affirmed that the institution “always cooperates fully with the judicial authorities.” To date, however, no searches have been conducted at the European Parliament itself, and no immunity waivers have been requested.
This latest probe comes at a time when the European Parliament is still grappling with the fallout from the 2022 Qatargate scandal, which exposed corruption involving cash and other benefits exchanged by some MEPs for influencing EU policies. The new allegations risk further damaging the institution’s reputation, with far-right and Eurosceptic politicians once again alleging systemic corruption within the EU.
As the investigation unfolds, authorities continue to examine the extent of Huawei’s lobbying activities and their potential influence on European policy-making, underscoring growing concerns about foreign interference in EU affairs.
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estim...
Australia has returned two ancient stone statue heads to China, more than 30 years after they were taken from imperial tombs in central China....
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global body responsible for monitoring money laundering and terrori...
The Middle East conflict remains tense as diplomatic efforts continue alongside renewed Houthi attacks. Iran says it remains open to mediation, while the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom.
Evacuations and the provision of humanitarian aid in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky have begun, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday. In a statement on Telegram, David Arakhamia said a six-day ceasefire was holding, and that more details would follow.
Rescuers searched the wreckage of two high-speed trains in central Spain on Thursday as the death toll rose to a provisional 74, making it the country's second fatal high-speed rail disaster this year.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the U.S. and Iran, according to an official briefed on the talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia remains willing to rebuild relations with European countries but warned that any wider conflict on the continent would leave no winners, as he commented on recent diplomatic contacts with Nordic leaders and growing security concerns in the Baltic region.
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global body responsible for monitoring money laundering and terrorist financing risks, has removed four countries from its so-called “grey list” after determining they had made sufficient progress in addressing weaknesses in their financial cr
The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 5,000, according to government figures released on Friday, as health authorities continue to struggle to contain the country's worst-ever Ebola epidemic.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Poland's long-running conflict over judicial independence and control of the Constitutional Tribunal intensified on Friday after the head of the country's top court was suspended, prompting President Karol Nawrocki to cut short an overseas trip and return to Warsaw amid mounting political tensions.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment