‘Huawei lobbyists’ held in raids in Belgium over EU corruption | EUROtoday

Belgian police have raided a number of places within the nation as a part of an investigation into corruption inside the European Parliament.

Prosecutors stated the alleged corruption was “under the guise of commercial lobbying”, and that a number of individuals had been detained for questioning.

According to officers, an tackle in Portugal was additionally searched by native police, whereas in France, one particular person was arrested.

Belgian newspaper Le Soir stated the investigation was linked to Chinese tech big Huawei and its actions in Brussels since 2021. Huawei stated it was taking the allegations “seriously” and would “urgently communicate with the investigation”.

The Belgian prosecutor’s workplace stated: “Corruption was allegedly practised regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present day, under the guise of commercial lobbying and taking various forms, such as compensation for political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses, or regular invitations to football matches.”

In an announcement to the BBC, a spokesperson for Huawei stated it had “a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption or other wrongdoing, and we are committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations at all times”.

Le Soir reported that a number of individuals suspected of being lobbyists working for Huawei had been detained, over the alleged bribery of present or former members of the European Parliament (MEP) to advertise the corporate’s commerce coverage.

Belgian police sealed two places of work contained in the European Parliament on the request of the choose in control of the case.

A spokesperson for the the prosecutor’s workplace instructed the BBC no MEPs had been instantly focused by Thursday’s raids.

A complete of 21 raids had been carried out in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia, the prosecutor’s workplace instructed the newspaper.

The investigation focuses on “active corruption within the European Parliament” in addition to “forgery and use of forged documents”, all inside the framework of a “criminal organisation”, the prosecutor’s workplace stated, including that it was additionally seeking to uncover potential cash laundering.

Additional reporting by Bruno Boelpaep