Belgian prosecutors investigate letter signed by MEPs to favor Huawei
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Belgian prosecutors' office are continuing its investigation into Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, which, according to some legal documents examined by Politico, may have made money transfers to eight members of the European Parliament in 2021. In exchange, they allegedly signed an open letter defending the company’s commercial interests — though Huawei's name is not mentioned. Among those arrested are the parliamentary adviser and assistant to Fulvio Martusciello, an Italian MEP from Forza Italia and a signatory of the open letter.
Possible links to Qatargate
The prosecutors are also looking into potential connections between this case and the “Qatargate” scandal of 2022, which involved several MEPs accused of being paid to promote Qatar’s interests through their political roles within the EU. In fact, the prosecutor' theory is that there may be a much larger and more structured system through which foreign governments or companies attempt to exert pressure and influence the decisions of the European Union.
The EU and the 5G Sector
Belgian authorities are focusing on a possible case of active corruption and influence peddling; the tech giant may have tried to influence EU's decisions, particularly in order to undermine restrictions imposed by the European Commission and some member states on infrastructure, telecommunications, and especially the 5G sector. The Chinese tech giant had already been accused by various Western governments of posing a cybersecurity risk.
Meanwhile, Huawei has denied all the allegations, stating that it has a zero-tolerance policy toward corrupt practices, but this may not be enough: some European governments are considering excluding the company from their telecommunications infrastructure — something that U.S., UK and Germany have already done by imposing strict restrictions on Huawei’s presence in the 5G sector.
Possible links to Qatargate
The prosecutors are also looking into potential connections between this case and the “Qatargate” scandal of 2022, which involved several MEPs accused of being paid to promote Qatar’s interests through their political roles within the EU. In fact, the prosecutor' theory is that there may be a much larger and more structured system through which foreign governments or companies attempt to exert pressure and influence the decisions of the European Union.
The EU and the 5G Sector
Belgian authorities are focusing on a possible case of active corruption and influence peddling; the tech giant may have tried to influence EU's decisions, particularly in order to undermine restrictions imposed by the European Commission and some member states on infrastructure, telecommunications, and especially the 5G sector. The Chinese tech giant had already been accused by various Western governments of posing a cybersecurity risk.
Meanwhile, Huawei has denied all the allegations, stating that it has a zero-tolerance policy toward corrupt practices, but this may not be enough: some European governments are considering excluding the company from their telecommunications infrastructure — something that U.S., UK and Germany have already done by imposing strict restrictions on Huawei’s presence in the 5G sector.