EU Parliament threatened by scandal Huawei: "zero tolerance" for corruption - investigators assume "criminal organization"
Following the opening of investigations into suspected bribery in the European Parliament, the Chinese technology group Huawei has declared that it has "zero tolerance" when it comes to corruption. The company will therefore get in touch with the investigators.
14.03.2025, 04:38
14.03.2025, 05:07
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- Following the opening of an investigation into suspected bribery in the European Parliament, the Chinese technology group Huawei has declared that it has "zero tolerance" when it comes to corruption.
- The Belgian federal prosecutor's office confirmed the suspicion of bribery "in favor of the Huawei company" in Brussels on Thursday.
- Lobbyists from the Chinese telecoms group are alleged to have bribed members of the EU Parliament or assistants with money or gifts since 2021.
"Huawei takes these allegations seriously and will urgently contact the investigators to understand the situation in more detail," a company spokesperson told the AFP news agency on Friday.
The Belgian federal prosecutor's office had confirmed the suspicion of bribery "in favor of the Huawei company" in Brussels on Thursday. Lobbyists from the Chinese telecoms group have allegedly bribed members of the EU Parliament or assistants with money or gifts since 2021. The European Parliament promised the authorities full cooperation in the investigation.
Preliminary arrests
Several suspects have been provisionally arrested in the course of the affair, according to the judiciary. They are to be questioned for "their alleged involvement in active acts of corruption in the European Parliament" and for falsifying documents, according to the Belgian public prosecutor's office.
Investigators are assuming a "criminal organization" that has been "operating under the guise of business lobbying from 2021 to the present". The suspects allegedly paid money for political statements. According to the judiciary, they also made "excessive gifts", for example in the form of trips or invitations to football matches. According to Belgian media, up to 15 MEPs are said to be involved in the affair.
According to the public prosecutor's office, there have been 21 police searches involving around one hundred police officers in Brussels, other parts of Belgium and Portugal. According to the public prosecutor's office, several offices in the EU Parliament were sealed, in particular those of two suspected assistants. Another suspect was arrested in France on a European arrest warrant. According to media reports, investigators also scrutinized Huawei's Brussels headquarters.