Huawei embroiled in European Parliament bribery scandal

News The investigation, which has led to multiple arrests and searches across Europe, has raised concerns about foreign interference and political integrity in the EU This week, Belgian authorities have arrested several people as part of a corruption investigation related to the European Parliament and Chinese tech giant Huawei. It has been confirmed that a large-scale investigation is ongoing into potential corruption, forgery, and money laundering occurring “very discreetly” since 2021. More than 100 officers carried out 21 searches in Belgium and Portugal, while one arrest was made in in France. Officials also sealed offices within the European Parliament belonging to two suspected parliamentary assistants. The probe alleges that Huawei offered luxury gifts, paid travel, and event invitations “under the guise of commercial lobbying” while seeking to directly influence European politics. In some cases, the investigators claim, remuneration was even provided for taking specific political positions. It is also believed that some payments have been disguised as business expenses or sent through third parties. According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, which organised the investigation along with fellow paper Knack and investigative website Follow the Money, one of the central figures in the probe is Valerio Ottati, a Belgian–Italian lobbyist who joined Huawei in 2019. Before becoming the company’s EU public affairs director, he worked as an assistant to two Italian MEPs involved in EU–China relations. Huawei has strongly denied the allegations, with a spokesperson saying, “Huawei has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption or other wrongdoing, and we are committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations at all times.” Huawei has faced various bans and restrictions across Europe due to concerns over threats to national security, allegations of corruption. Countries such as the UK, Germany, France and Sweden have all implemented bans of Huawei infrastructure in mobile networks. The European Commission emphasised its security concerns over Huawei’s involvement in Europe’s 5G networks. The European Commission itself has not yet commented, but EU Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier warned that the “security of our 5G networks is obviously crucial for our economy.” “Huawei represents materially higher risks than other 5G suppliers…a lack of swift action would expose the EU as a whole to a clear risk,” he continued. Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter Also in the news: Vodafone and Ericsson cut 5G energy bill by a third in latest ‘sleep mode’ trials Startup Stories: Introducing automation and observability specialist Telaverge Communications Shock U-turn as Jio and Airtel both sign up for Starlink