Huawei bribery scandal in European Parliament: 8 people accused

The Chinese state-backed technology giant Huawei is embroiled in a bribery scandal in Europe, with the case currently under investigation. Prosecutors in Belgium announced on Friday (April 4) that 8 individuals have been charged with corruption, money laundering, and involvement in criminal organizations in connection with alleged bribery of members of the European Parliament.

On March 13, police conducted raids in Belgium and Portugal, initially charging five individuals. Subsequently, two were conditionally released while three other suspects were required to wear electronic monitoring devices.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office stated on Friday that between March 20 and 29, three more suspects were charged and are currently being held in detention.

On March 13, Belgian investigators conducted searches at Huawei’s headquarters in Brussels and 21 other locations in Belgium and Portugal, with a judge subsequently ordering the sealing of offices belonging to two parliamentary assistants.

One of the offices belonged to the assistants of MEP Marco Falcone (Marco Falcone, European People’s Party) – Paolo Campisi and Francesco Vasta, while the other belonged to the assistants of MEP Nikola Minchev (Nikola Minchev, European Conservatives and Reformists Group) – Adam Mouchtar.

Prosecutors in Belgium indicated that these corrupt practices may have been occurring regularly and covertly since 2021, with Huawei using “lobbying” as a cover to engage in various forms of bribery with parliamentarians or officials.

These acts of bribery include exchanging money and other benefits for support of specific political positions or policies, offering high-value gifts such as luxury dining or covering travel expenses as a means of influence or bribery, or regularly inviting participation in entertainment activities like watching football matches to build relationships.

Prosecutors stated that these alleged bribery activities benefited Huawei.

Huawei has stated that it will immediately communicate with relevant authorities to fully understand the situation and emphasized that the company has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and other unlawful behavior.

The European Parliament has confirmed that it has received a request for assistance in the investigation from Belgian authorities and will cooperate promptly and comprehensively.

(This article has referenced relevant reports from Agence France-Presse and Reuters)