Belgian police have reportedly raided several locations as part of a corruption investigation within the European Parliament.
According to Belgian newspaper Le Soir, the investigation is linked to Chinese vendor Huawei's activities since 2021.
The newspaper reported yesterday (March 13) that the alleged corruption was "under the guise of commercial lobbying."
Several people have been detained for questioning, while an address in Portugal was also searched by local police. One person was also arrested in France.
Le Soir noted that the people detained are suspected of being lobbyists for Huawei. Those detained allegedly attempted to bribe current and former members of the European Parliament to promote the company's interests within the bloc.
A Huawei spokesperson told DCD the company "takes these allegations seriously" and will "urgently communicate with the investigation to further understand the situation."
They added: "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."
Le Soir reports that 21 raids took place across Belgium, in the Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia regions.
"Corruption was allegedly practiced regularly and very discreetly from 2021 to the present day, under the guise of commercial lobbying and taking various forms, such as compensation for political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses, or regular invitations to football matches," said the Belgian prosecutor's office in a statement.
Two offices inside the European Parliament have been sealed by Belgian police at the request of the judge in charge of the case.
Huawei's European challenge
Huawei has faced a tough time in Europe in the last few years.
In 2020, the European Commission (EC) urged EU states to restrict "high-risk vendors" such as Huawei as they rolled out their national 5G networks.
Last year, the German government ordered its mobile carriers to fully remove Chinese components within their domestic 5G networks by 2029.
The ban represented a U-turn after Germany's government stated in December 2022 that it wasn't looking to impose a ban on Huawei, and that it would assess Chinese telecoms vendors on a 'case-by-case' basis.
The UK, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have banned Huawei from playing a part in their 5G network infrastructure. Though no longer part of the EU, the UK initially granted the vendor a limited role in its 5G build before banning the company six months later in July 2020.
Back in 2020, the EC was resisting pressure for a full ban from the US, where President Donald Trump was ramping up efforts to ban Huawei from a key role in 5G networks.
