Huawei is at the center of a bribery scandal involving EU Parliament members, with police raids conducted in Belgium and Portugal. Lobbyists allegedly bribed lawmakers for corporate gain.
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| A bribery scandal involving Huawei is unfolding across the European Parliament, as raids in Belgium and Portugal uncover allegations of lobbyists bribing lawmakers. Image: ChicHue |
Brussels, Belgium — March 13, 2025:
A fresh bribery scandal involving the Chinese telecom giant Huawei has erupted within the European Parliament, following a series of police raids across Belgium and Portugal. The raids, conducted on Thursday, are part of an investigation into allegations that lobbyists working for Huawei bribed current and former European lawmakers to push the company's commercial interests within the EU, reads a DW post.
While no EU lawmakers have been arrested so far, more than a dozen are reportedly under investigation. Belgian authorities confirmed that the investigation focuses on possible corruption involving Huawei, with reports indicating that the company’s lobbyists provided gifts, travel expenses, and other incentives to sway political decisions in its favor.
Belgium’s federal prosecutor described the scandal as a case of “active corruption” involving a “criminal organization,” with the bribes allegedly concealed under the guise of conference expenses and paid to intermediaries. The investigation also explores whether money laundering activities were involved in these transactions.
The raids were conducted across multiple locations, with over 100 officers involved. Authorities also confirmed that one suspect was arrested in France, and more than 20 search warrants were executed in total. A key suspect in the case is Valerio Ottati, a former parliamentary assistant who later became Huawei’s EU public affairs director. Ottati, a Belgian-Italian lobbyist, previously worked as an assistant to two MEPs involved in EU-China relations.
Huawei's role in the scandal comes at a time when the company’s reputation within the EU is already under scrutiny. In 2023, the European Commission highlighted Huawei as a security threat to 5G networks and urged EU nations to exclude its equipment from their mobile infrastructure.
The unfolding scandal is raising alarms about the integrity of the European Parliament and its vulnerability to corporate influence. Transparency advocates have called for immediate reforms, particularly following the 2022 “Qatargate” scandal, in which several lawmakers were accused of accepting bribes to promote Qatar and Morocco’s interests.
“These new allegations are as sweeping and serious as Qatargate and make a mockery of democracy at the European Parliament. Urgent reforms are needed to prevent such corruption from continuing,” said Nicholas Aiossa, director of Transparency International EU.
As the investigation continues, the European Parliament faces increasing pressure to address its ethical shortcomings and implement stricter measures to prevent corporate lobbying and bribery from undermining democratic processes.