Huaway affair: Eight have been charged with corruption in the European Parliament

Eight people have been charged with corruption, money laundering and involvement in a criminal organization following an investigation into suspicion of bribery against political services in the European Parliament, Reuters reported. Their identity is not revealed.

In a statement made on Friday, the investigating prosecutor said that the alleged corruption had been « very discreet » since 2021 under the guise of commercial lobbying. It included payments to take political positions or make gifts such as payment of bills in restaurants and travel expenses or regular invitations for football matches.

According to the investigation, illegal actions favored the Chinese technology giant Huawei.

Three of the accused remained in custody, two were released conditionally and the others were detained under electronic surveillance.

Separately, at the request of the Belgian investigation, a Portuguese consultant was detained in France, and in Italy an associate of Italian MEP Fulvio Martyello.

According to publications in the Belgian press, some of the accused were lobbyists of Huaway in Brussels.

The Chinese company said even then that it has zero tolerance to corruption and take the accusations seriously.

The European Parliament has announced that it has received a request from the Belgian authorities for assistance in the investigation and that it will fulfill it without specifying what character it is.

At the end of 2022, the EU was shaken by the Qatargate scandal for money against influence after the Belgian authorities charged four people related to the European Parliament on suspicion that Qatar and Morocco had bribed politicians, parliamentary associates and non -governmental organizations to focus on the sake of the decision.

The investigation is ongoing. All suspects are at large.