A bribery investigation involving Chinese telecom giant Huawei has led to charges against five individuals and raised concerns about foreign influence in the European Union’s decision-making. Law enforcement in Belgium and Portugal has carried out raids in connection to what prosecutors describe as a covert lobbying operation.
The inquiry focuses on at least 15 former and current members of the European Parliament. Prosecutors say these individuals accepted money and high-value gifts beginning in 2021. The alleged benefits included expensive meals, travel expenses and access to regular soccer matches.
What is going on in Europe?
The E.U. is now embroiled in a spiraling corruption & bribery scandal involving CCP spy gear maker Huawei.
The corruption scandal involves “preliminary charges of active corruption, forgery of documents, money laundering” at the European Parliament. pic.twitter.com/guS56y8TZK
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) March 14, 2025
Officials are looking closely at a letter written in 2021 by a group of MEPs urging the EU not to take action that would limit Chinese companies from participating in infrastructure networks. While Huawei wasn’t named, the letter’s message aligned closely with the company’s interests.
Corruption in the Parliament – Same old?
"Huawei had a great interest, big money" @petras_petras
"There's rules to enforce ethics guidelines, but they choose not to" @swheaton
"This is unacceptable" R. Lewis @Brussels_School
Watch #BrusselsMyLove all weekend on @euronews pic.twitter.com/hKdMoM4F84
— euronews (@euronews) March 23, 2025
One of the politicians involved, Fulvio Martusciello of Italy, signed the letter. Since the investigation began, his assistant and former adviser have been taken into custody. Prosecutors believe the letter’s author may have been offered over $16,000 for their work, with signers receiving around $1,600 each.
Belgian police conducted raids on Huawei's offices in Brussels and the homes of the company's lobbyists as part of an investigation into alleged corruption within the European Parliament. Authorities suspect that the Chinese tech giant offered bribes and luxury privileges to… pic.twitter.com/aeYxCARFrN
— TVP World (@TVPWorld_com) March 15, 2025
The EU’s anti-fraud office OLAF received a tip about the letter’s suspicious origins but declined to pursue the lead. Officials there claimed the evidence presented at the time was not strong enough to justify opening a case.
2025.3.16 Belgium is investigating Huawei, a CCP military-linked company associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), over allegations of bribing European Parliament members and engaging in illegal lobbying to undermine espionage accusations and sway EU policies. Raids… pic.twitter.com/GfLxwBIQ9S
— 台灣寶島農場🇹🇼 (@N0000024) March 17, 2025
Four of the five individuals charged so far are accused of active corruption and ties to a criminal network. A fifth person, released conditionally, is facing charges for money laundering. Prosecutors say the scheme was disguised as ordinary lobbying and avoided detection for several years.
Huawei not only uses predatory pricing practices to undercut the more secure western products but it appears they use bribery too…https://t.co/zDNuCJ3W7h
— Rob Joyce (@RGB_Lights) March 19, 2025
In addition to this case, past scandals have involved lawmakers allegedly accepting bribes from Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania to sway EU policies. Authorities estimate that over $4 million in illicit payments were made in those separate incidents.
