Recently, the identities of five current Members of the European Parliament allegedly involved in the lobbying case of the Chinese tech giant Huawei have been exposed. The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office has officially requested the European Parliament to lift the judicial immunity of these MEPs to launch a thorough investigation.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola publicly revealed the list of implicated MEPs on Wednesday (May 21) in Brussels, including three Italian MEPs from the European People’s Party (EPP): Fulvio Martusciello, Giusi Princi, Salvatore de Meo, as well as MEP Daniel Attard from Malta and MEP Nikola Minchev from Bulgaria.
These five MEPs are accused of receiving substantial funds, luxury travel arrangements, and football match tickets provided by Huawei in exchange for supporting pro-Huawei policies in the Parliament.
This bribery and influence-peddling case began to be investigated two months ago. In March of this year, Belgian police conducted raids at multiple locations in Brussels, France, and Portugal, including offices of the European Parliament.
Prosecutors pointed out that since 2021, Huawei has been bribing multiple officials through activities disguised as “business lobbying”, using methods such as high remunerations, lavish hospitality, and football match tickets.
Currently, eight individuals, including a senior executive from Huawei’s European region, have been indicted on charges including money laundering, involvement in organized crime groups, and corrupt practices.
In response to the allegations, MEPs De Meo, Attard, and Minchev have confirmed receiving notifications from the Belgian prosecutor’s office, but all denied any involvement in unlawful activities.
De Meo told the Italian news agency ANSA that he only attended a social event once where a Huawei representative was present, but the event was not organized by Huawei.
Attard admitted on Facebook that he watched a match in Brussels last September and was invited to Huawei’s VIP box. However, he emphasized that he was unaware at the time that the tickets were provided by Huawei and the invitation came from a person who is currently under investigation, who discussed Huawei-related issues with him at the event.
Minchev was also investigated for attending the same match and entering Huawei’s box. He stated that the invitation came from a neighbor of his assistant, whose office was raided by Belgian police in March.
Martusciello pointed out that he had only brief contact with Huawei lobbyists, never visited Huawei’s office, and did not receive any benefits or remuneration. However, he did sign a public letter in 2021 criticizing the policies of various European countries towards Chinese companies, widely interpreted as supporting Huawei’s stance.
Another implicated MEP, Princi, emphasized that at the time she allegedly met with Huawei personnel, she was still in Italy attending her daughter’s school event and had not yet taken office as an MEP.
As the scandal unfolds, the European Parliament and the European Commission have revoked the access rights of Huawei-affiliated personnel to their institutions and stated that they will assess the qualifications of their affiliates on a case-by-case basis. The European Parliament emphasized a “zero tolerance” policy towards corruption and fraud.
The Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (JURI) will review the Belgian prosecutor’s request to lift the judicial immunity and draft reports for each application. The reports will be submitted for a vote of all 720 MEPs and a simple majority will determine if the immunity of the implicated MEPs should be formally lifted. The next plenary session is scheduled for June 4th to 5th.