BRUSSELS ― Belgian authorities have asked the European Parliament to strip the immunities of a group of EU lawmakers so they can be investigated for their alleged involvement in a cash-for-influence scandal linked to the Chinese tech firm Huawei.
The request, confirmed by three EU officials, comes two months since the allegations emerged. One official said five MEPs were affected: three from the center-right European People’s Party, one from the Socialists and one from the centrist Renew group.One of the officials said the authorities were also investigating Parliament staff.
The names of the MEPs in question have not been made public but will be announced by Parliament President Roberta Metsola on May 21 at the opening of a plenary session.
The Parliament’s legal affairs committee will then decide whether to strip the immunities, in a process that could take as little as four weeks if fast-tracked, or up to a year in sensitive cases.
Daniel Attard, a Maltese Socialist MEP, is part of the group, he said on social media on Monday.
He said he was being investigated in connection with the Huawei probe for attending a football match in September at the box that Huawei has in the Anderlecht football stadium in Brussels.
“I was not made aware that the invitation originated from any company, or that it involved a corporate box,” he said. “It has since emerged that the invitation came from a person who is currently under investigation by the Belgian authorities and who intended to speak to me about Huawei during the match.”
Attard said that following a subsequent meeting in the Parliament with the company’s representatives, which he says he declared, he “had no further communication and took no action whatsoever in relation to Huawei or any matters related to the company.”
Authorities are also investigating seven MEPs who signed a letter sent in February 2021 to three EU commissioners, in which they argued geopolitical tension should not hinder the development of 5G equipment in Europe, a move that would benefit the Chinese tech giant. Belgian authorities are looking into whether these lawmakers have been paid for their signatures. It is unclear whether the waiver requests target these lawmakers.
At least eight people have been charged by the Belgian prosecutor — including one of Huawei’s most senior executives in Europe — with active corruption, money laundering and criminal organization, after a series of police raids of premises in Belgium, France and Portugal.
An MEP’s parliamentary assistant has also been charged but an Italian court refused to hand her over to Belgian authorities at the end of April despite an active European arrest warrant.
The Belgian prosecutor’s office declined to comment. A Parliament spokesperson said: “Any request is only public once announced in plenary – the requests are announced at the earliest plenary after reception.”
Elisa Braun contributed reporting.
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