Corruption in the European Parliament: Investigations against Huawei and arrests!

The Chinese technology group Huawei is at the center of an explosive corruption determination, which is strongly criticized in Europe for its supposed unfair influences on political decision -making processes in the European Parliament. The Belgian authorities have initiated a comprehensive investigation, which has now led to the preliminary arrest of several people. Around 100 police officers search a total of 21 objects in Belgium and Portugal. Documents and further evidence were ensured, which must now be analyzed for their relevance for the ongoing investigations, as the public prosecutor said. These studies are part of a more comprehensive view of lobbying movements and possible money laundering, which has been going on since 2021 "under the guise of commercial lobbying", as [Vol.at] reported.

The allegations include the payment of money for political statements and the granting of excessive gifts, including trips and invitations to football games in order to promote private commercial interests in political decisions. A spokeswoman for the EU Parliament confirmed the unrestricted cooperation with the Belgian authorities. In addition, an application for sealing for the offices of two alleged parliamentary assistants is checked. So far, the public prosecutor has announced no details of the possible suspects, including active or former MPs, as to which speculation about further arrests, as [tagesschau.de] reported.

serious allegations and extended controls

The investigators assume a "criminal organization" that is said to have specifically exerted pressure on decisions in the EU Parliament. This is not the first scandal of this kind. As early as December 2022, there were significant allegations against parliamentary actors in the so-called "Katargate" affair who got criticized due to attempted bribes by Qatar and Morocco. This led to tightening the lobby rules in the European Parliament in order to prevent such influences in the future. However, critics indicate that these regulations are not far -reaching enough and require further measures to combat corruption in parliament more consistently.