Police conducted fresh searches on Thursday at European Parliament offices in Strasbourg, targeting political assistants linked to a corruption probe involving Huawei, according to Politico.
The move follows earlier raids on 13 March, when authorities sealed offices in Brussels and executed 21 searches across Belgium and Portugal. The investigation centres on alleged bribes paid to secure an open letter signed by eight MEPs in 2021, which defended Huawei’s 5G interests amid EU scrutiny.
Five people have been indicted, four of whom are charged with “active corruption and criminal organisation” and the fifth is accused of money laundering. A parliamentary assistant to Italian MEP Fulvio Martusciello–who spearheaded the 2021 letter–was arrested in Italy on March 20 and suspended by Parliament.
Prosecutors claim €15,000 was offered to draft the letter, with €1,500 per co-signer. Payments were allegedly routed through fake consultancy invoices. In response, Huawei reiterated its “zero tolerance” policy on corruption, but avoided commenting on specific allegations.
The EU Parliament banned Huawei lobbyists from its premises on 14 March as a precaution.
However, MEPs who signed the 2021 letter, including Herbert Dorfmann and Daniel Buda, deny awareness of bribes, attributing their support to political concerns. Meanwhile, calls for stricter lobbying transparency and the creation of an operational ethics body are rising across the EU.
Belgian prosecutors continue to analyze seized evidence, including bank transfers and digital communications.
