Belgian police search Huawei offices and make arrests amid European Parliament corruption probe

Belgian police searched the Brussels headquarters of Chinese tech company Huawei and several other locations in a corruption probe amid fresh allegations involving European Parliament officials, with several arrests made in the case, according to authorities.

The lobbyists of the Chinese tech giant are being investigated over allegations of bribing MEPs to influence EU decision-making that is said to have benefited Huawei.

Meanwhile, a judge has requested that the European Parliament offices of two assistants allegedly involved in the case be sealed.

"As required by procedure, the president of the European Parliament has been informed of the situation. This procedure is continuing," the prosecutor's office said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

The information on the probe was first revealed by investigative website Follow the Money, together with two other Belgian newspapers, Le Soir and Knack.

Sources told the three outlets that around 15 current and former MEPs might be involved in the case.

Police are said to have searched dozens of homes Thursday morning in Brussels, Belgium's regions of Flanders and Wallonia, and Portugal as a part of a covert operation. They sought evidence of possible involvement in criminal activities, including bribery, forgery, money laundering and criminal organisation.

The authorities also confiscated documents and electronic devices, according to reports. Euronews has reached out to Huawei for comment.

No searches at European Parliament so far

The reports allege one of the main suspects in the case to be 41-year-old Huawei lobbyist Valerio Ottati.

Meanwhile, the investigators contacted the European Parliament. The press service told Euronews that they have received a request for cooperation from the Belgian authorities to assist an investigation, without elaborating. The parliament will swiftly and fully honour this, the spokesperson added.

For any proceeding against current MEPs, investigators must ask the president of the Parliament to waive their immunity.

The new scandal might further hurt the reputation of the European institution, despite the European Parliament strengthening its ethics and transparency rules after a recent scandal which remains under investigation.

MEPs involved, including Greece's Eva Kaili in 2022 were alleged to have accepted cash and other benefits in exchange for influencing the bloc's decisions.

News of a fresh corruption scandal was greeted with condemnation in Brussels. Green party MEP Daniel Freund, who was a rapporteur for the EU body's ethics report during the previous mandate, said the scandal threatens the reputation of the European Parliament.

He said in the wake of recent scandals "important reforms have been overlooked. It must finally be understood that the risk of corruption in Brussels is high because the EU is so influential."

"We need a complete investigation quickly and finally reforms that will make the Parliament more resistant to corruption,” Freund said.

MEPs of the Left group also demanded an open debate on the matter.

Co-chair for The Left, MEP Manon Aubry, from the French far-left La France Insoumise party, said the EU had ignored warnings in the past.

"Despite repeated warnings from the Left that the EU Parliament is in danger of falling into yet another corruption scandal, almost nothing has been done to prevent it," she said.

"We urgently need to find out how deep this scandal goes and impose tough ethics and transparency rules, or lobbies will continue to slosh money around in the pockets of an increasingly corrupt institution,” Aubry added.

'Lack of swift action'

The European Commission refused to comment on the investigation. But its spokesperson Thomas Regnier underlined the EU's top executive body's security concerns about Huawei and Europe’s 5G telecoms networks.

“The security of our 5G networks is obviously crucial for our economy,” Regnier told reporters on Thursday.

"Huawei represents materially higher risks than other 5G suppliers,” he said, adding that EU member states should swiftly "adopt decisions to restrict or to exclude Huawei from their 5G networks."

“A lack of swift action would expose the EU as a whole to a clear risk,” Regnier said.

Transparency International's Director and Head of Policy and Advocacy Nicholas Aiossa told Euronews that the Parliament had failed to undergo reforms it should have undertaken after recent scandals.

"And here we are today," he remarked.

"Until there are rules in place that prevent gifts being received, travel being paid for, and lucrative side jobs being held by MEPs, there will always be this risk," he said.