Thought Leadership
Five MEPs are at risk of losing their immunity due to suspected corruption in connection with the Chinese company Huawei.
Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in the plenary session in Brussels that she had received the request from the competent authorities in Belgium to waive parliamentary immunity – i.e. the protection of MPs from prosecution. The motion will now be referred to the Legal Affairs Committee.
The Italian MEPs Fulvio Martusciello, Giusi Princi and Salvatore De Meo from the European People’s Party (EPP), the Maltese Social Democrat Daniel Attard and the Bulgarian MEP Nikola Minchev from Renew Europe are affected.
Eight defendants
Two months ago, the Belgian public prosecutor’s office charged eight people with active corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization in a possible new corruption scandal in the European Parliament. Offices in the European Parliament were searched in mid-March.
The investigations revolve around allegations that the Chinese technology group Huawei attempted to exert unauthorized influence on decision-making processes. Chinese technology companies such as Huawei have been criticized for years. In particular, there are fears that China could gain influence over Western telecommunications infrastructures.
dpa
