The European Parliament earlier banned Huawei representatives from the legislature’s buildings as a precaution.
The Belgian prosecutor’s office said on March 18 that it has charged five people in connection with a corruption probe in the European Parliament allegedly linked to Chinese telecom giant Huawei.
Four have been charged with active corruption and involvement in a criminal organization and a fifth with money laundering and granted conditional release, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.
The prosecutor’s officer did not disclose the names of those involved or give information that could identify them.
The office previously said the investigating judge ordered seals to be placed on offices assigned to two parliamentary assistants inside the European Parliament.
Law enforcement officials conducted new searches Monday at some of the sealed European Parliament offices, the prosecutor’s office said. Prosecutors allege the offenses were committed by a criminal organization.
The arrests followed nearly two dozen searches carried out by about 100 federal police officers in Brussels, the Flanders and Wallonia regions, and Portugal.
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Last week, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the alleged corruption had been ongoing since 2021. The office did not identify the people arrested but said the “alleged bribery is said to have benefited Huawei.”
“The corruption is said to have been practised regularly and very discreetly … under the guise of commercial lobbying and taking various forms, such as remuneration for taking political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches,” the office stated. “All this with a view to promoting purely private commercial interests in the context of political decisions.”
Speaking to The Epoch Times on March 13, a spokesperson for the European Parliament said, “We have received a request for cooperation from the Belgian authorities to assist the investigation, which the Parliament will swiftly and fully honor.”
A day later, the European Parliament, citing “precautionary measures,” banned Huawei representatives from the legislature’s buildings.
A spokesperson told The Epoch Times that cabinet staff and directors general were ordered to “immediately suspend contacts and meetings with HUAWEI until further notice.”
Huawei said last week it took the allegations seriously.
“Huawei has a zero tolerance policy towards corruption or other wrongdoing, and we are committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations at all times,” it said.
Huawei has repeatedly denied that it helps facilitate the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage.
Since the CCP passed the National Intelligence Act in June 2017, all Chinese citizens and companies have been legally obliged to turn over any information or data to the regime upon request.
The Epoch Times reached out to the European Parliament and Huawei for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Guy Birchall, Lily Zhou, The Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.
