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The Belgian authorities declare arrests of several people in connection with alleged bribe within parliament.
Police have arrested several people as part of a corruption probe aimed at the European Parliament and Chinese technology company Huawei, Belgian authorities said.
The suspects who are alleged to have participated in Active Corruption in the European Parliament to take advantage of Huawei have been arrested after searches in 21 premises in Belgium and Portugal, a statement from the Belgium Federal Prosecutor's Office said.
“It is claimed that corruption is practiced regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present day, under the guise of commercial lobbying and accepting various forms, such as remuneration for political positions or excessive gifts such as costs of food and travel or regular invitations to football matches,” the prosecutor's office says.
Investigators believe that illegal payments may have been “mixed” in financial flows related to conference costs in order to conceal their true purpose, according to prosecutors.
“From this point of view, the investigation is also intended to find any evidence of money laundering, as the case may be,” the prosecutor's office said.
Following the attack, a judge, who had observed the case, ordered stamps in the offices of two parliamentary assistants at the EU Parliament headquarters in France, Strasbourg, prosecutors added.
Prosecutors said they could not reveal more details, including the identity of the suspects, without taking into account the presumption of innocence and the integrity of the investigation.
Huawei and Parliament speakers did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera's requests for comment.
The probe comes less than three years after several EU legislators and assistants have been involved in an alleged bribery scandal involving employees of Qatar and Morocco.
Five current and former MEPs – Eva Kylie of Greece; Italy Pierre Antonio Panzeri and Andrea Kotsolino; And Mark Tarabella and Marie Arena in Belgium are accused of this case.
Panzeri interrupted the legal basis with prosecutors in 2023, in which he acknowledges his participation in corruption.
None of the other four has been convicted.
The Qatar and Moroccan governments have denied any misconduct in the case.
