The Belgian police have made records at the European headquarters of Huawei in Brussels and has arrested several of its lobists for alleged corruption of Eurodiputados, as progress Reuters.
What happened? The Belgian Prosecutor’s Office has deployed a hundred agents in almost two dozen places in Belgium and Portugal as part of an investigation for alleged bribery, falsification of documents and money laundering.
The researchers have seized two offices in the European Parliament belonging to supposedly involved parliamentary assistants.
Why is it important. This case threatens to become a second ‘Qatargate‘, the scandal that shook the Eurocamara in 2022 when several legislators were accused of receiving bribes from Qatar and Morocco. New research can seriously damage the credibility of European institutions, already weakened after that episode.
Between bambalins. According to Belgian media, the plot of bribes would have operated “regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present, under the appearance of lobby Commercial. “The researchers They suspect that about fifteen Eurodiputados – actual and ancient – could be involved.
In detail. Corrupt practices, according to Politicalthey would have included:
- Remuneration for adopting favorable political positions to Huawei.
- Excessive gifts, such as meals and travel expenses.
- Recurring invitations to football matches.
The context. Huawei, which once was a power of lobby In Europe, he has suffered blows in recent years due to the security risks associated with his links with the Chinese government. The European Commission He has repeatedly warned that the company represents “materially higher risks than other 5G suppliers”.
The European Parliament has confirmed that it will cooperate “quickly” with the Belgian authorities in the investigation. Meanwhile, Victor Negrescu, vice president of Parliament for transparency and anti -corruption, has described the accusations as “deeply worrisome.”
The answer. A spokesman for Huawei has limited himself to declare that the company is “investigating” what happened and that “it is committed to compliance with all the applicable laws and regulations of the countries and regions in which it operates.”
The Eurodiputados involved could see the lifting of their parliamentary immunity if the investigation progresses, a process that requires the authorization of the president of the Eurocamara, Roberta Metsola.
From Xataka We have contacted Huawei to obtain their statements in this regard, we will incorporate them into this article as soon as we obtain them.
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