The European Parliament has recently taken action against Huawei lobbyists by banning them from its premises due to a corruption probe involving the Chinese company. The decision was made as a precautionary measure following the arrests of individuals suspected of bribery. The investigation revealed that lobbyists working for Huawei were allegedly involved in bribing current or former European Parliament members to advance the company’s commercial interests in Europe.
Approximately 100 federal police officers conducted 21 searches in various regions, including Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia, and Portugal. Seals were also requested to be placed on offices within the EU Parliament assigned to two parliamentary assistants allegedly linked to the case. Huawei has stated that it is treating the allegations seriously and will cooperate with investigators.
The tensions between the United States and China over technology and trade have put Huawei in a difficult position, with some European countries, following the US’s lead, banning Huawei’s equipment from their next-generation mobile networks over security concerns. Despite facing these allegations, Huawei has consistently denied any involvement in facilitating Chinese spying.
The investigation suggests that corruption activities may have started in 2021. This incident marks the second corruption case to affect the EU Parliament in less than three years. In a previous scandal in December 2022, Qatari officials were accused of bribing EU officials to downplay labor rights concerns ahead of the soccer World Cup, tarnishing the reputation of the EU Parliament as the only institution directly elected by officials from the 27 member countries.
