BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥� Belgian federal prosecutors on Thursday announced the arrests of several people in a corruption probe linked to the and the which is suspected of bribing EU lawmakers.
The arrests came as an investigation by Le Soir newspaper and other media said lobbyists working for the Chinese telecoms giant were suspected of bribing current or former European Parliament members to promote the company鈥檚 commercial policies in Europe.
The prosecutor's office confirmed in a statement that the alleged bribery 鈥渋s said to have benefited Huawei.鈥�
About 100 federal police officers carried out 21 searches in Brussels, the Flanders and Wallonia regions, and Portugal. The investigating magistrate in charge of the case also asked for seals to be placed on offices inside the EU Parliament allocated to two parliamentary assistants allegedly involved.
Prosecutors said one person was arrested in France.
The suspects would be questioned over 鈥渁lleged involvement in active corruption within the European Parliament, as well as for forgery and use of forgeries,鈥� prosecutors said. 鈥淭he offences were allegedly committed by a criminal organization.鈥�
Huawei public relations representatives in London did not respond to an emailed request for comment and could not be reached by phone.
The European Parliament said only that the assembly 鈥渢akes note of the information" and "always cooperates fully with the judicial authorities.鈥�
Huawei, which makes cellphones and is the biggest maker of networking gear for phone and internet carriers, has been caught in and trade.
Some European nations have followed Washington鈥檚 lead and banned Huawei鈥檚 equipment from next-generation mobile networks over allegations that it poses a security risk that could help facilitate Chinese spying. The company has repeatedly denied this.
European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said the EU鈥檚 executive branch had no comment regarding the investigation but underlined the commission's security concerns about Huawei and Europe鈥檚 fifth-generation mobile phone networks.
鈥淭he security of our 5G networks is obviously crucial for our economy,鈥� Regnier told reporters. 鈥淗uawei represents materially higher risks than other 5G suppliers.鈥�
EU member states should swiftly "adopt decisions to restrict or to exclude Huawei from their 5G networks,鈥� Regnier said. 鈥淎 lack of swift action would expose the EU as a whole to a clear risk.鈥�
The prosecutor's office said it believes there was corruption 鈥渇rom 2021 to the present day" in various forms, "such as remuneration for taking political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches."
Prosecutors also believe payments might have been disguised as business expenses and in some cases may have been directed to third parties. They said they would also look to "detect any evidence of money laundering.鈥�
Police seized several documents and objects during the searches. Staff at Huawei鈥檚 offices in Brussels declined to comment and turned the lights off inside to avoid photographs taken through the window.
This is the second corruption case targeting the EU Parliament in less than three years.
In December 2022, the legislature was shaken by a were accused of bribing EU officials to play down labor rights concerns ahead of the soccer World Cup.
The scandal scarred the reputation of the EU鈥檚 only institution comprised of officials elected directly in the 27 member countries. It undermined the assembly鈥檚 claim to the moral high ground in its own investigations, such as into allegations of corruption in .
EU Greens lawmaker Daniel Freund 鈥� who supervised the work of the assembly鈥檚 ethics body during the scandal, dubbed Qatargate 鈥� said Thursday the parliament鈥檚 reputation is again under threat.
鈥淭he risk of corruption in Brussels is high because the EU is so influential," he said. "We need a complete investigation quickly, and finally reforms that will make the Parliament more resistant to corruption.鈥�
According to Follow The Money, an investigative journalism platform, one of the main suspects in the probe is 41-year-old Valerio Ottati, a Belgian-Italian lobbyist who joined Huawei in 2019.
Before becoming Huawei鈥檚 EU public affairs director, Ottati was an assistant to two Italian MEPs who were both members of a European Parliament group dealing with China policy, Follow the Money reported.
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Petrequin reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels and Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
Samuel Petrequin And Sylvain Plazy, The Associated Press
