The European Parliament on Friday banned lobbyists representing Huawei from its premises following the arrests of several people in a corruption investigation linked to the Chinese company.
Belgian prosecutors suspect Huawei of bribing members of the European Parliament.
European Parliament officials said on Friday that the decision to block access to Huawei lobbyists was taken as a precaution to comply with security rules.
Thursday's arrests come amid an investigation by Le Soir and other media outlets that has uncovered allegations of bribery of current or former MEPs to advance the company's business policies in Europe.
Around 100 federal police officers carried out 21 searches in Brussels, as well as in the Flanders and Wallonia regions and in Portugal.
The investigating judge handling the case also ordered the sealing of offices in the European Parliament building allocated to two parliamentary assistants who may be connected to the case.
Huawei said Thursday it takes the allegations seriously and will “contact” investigators “soon.”
Huawei, a mobile phone maker and the largest supplier of network equipment to telecom and internet operators, has found itself at the center of tensions between the United States and China over technology and trade.
Some European countries have followed Washington in banning Huawei equipment from next-generation networks over claims it could pose security risks and facilitate Chinese spying.
The company has repeatedly denied these allegations.
The prosecutor's office believes that the corrupt activity began in 2021.
This is the second corruption scandal in the European Parliament in less than three years.
In December 2022, parliament was engulfed in a corruption scandal when Qatari officials were accused of bribing EU officials to downplay concerns over workers' rights ahead of the World Cup.
The scandal has seriously damaged the reputation of the only EU institution made up of officials directly elected by the 27 member states.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
