China News
INTERNET SPACE
EU parliament bars Huawei lobbyists over graft probe
EU parliament bars Huawei lobbyists over graft probe
By Umberto BACCHI
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Mar 14, 2025

The European Parliament said Friday it has barred Huawei representatives from its premises, a day after police made a series of arrests in a probe into suspected corruption on behalf of the Chinese tech giant.

Later, a spokesperson for the European Commission said Huawei lobbyists have also been barred from accessing its offices.

Several people have been detained for questioning following coordinated raids in Belgium and Portugal, for alleged involvement in "active corruption within the European Parliament, as well as for forgery and use of forgeries".

A spokesperson for the parliament said it had decided "as a precautionary measure, to suspend the access to parliament of representatives attached to the Huawei company with immediate effect." The EU's legislative has premises in Brussels and Strasbourg, France.

Huawei has nine representatives accredited to the parliament, according to the EU transparency register.

Thursday's raids came less than two years after the "Qatargate" scandal, in which EU lawmakers were accused of being paid to promote the interests of Qatar and Morocco -- something both countries deny.

Transparency campaigners, who have accused the EU parliament of resisting reform after the 2022 scandal, called on it to immediately investigate the latest claims.

The parliament has said it is fully cooperating with the Belgian authorities.

Huawei declined to comment on the access ban, referring to an earlier statement where the firm said it takes the graft allegations "seriously" and would "urgently communicate with the investigation to further understand the situation".

"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," the company said Friday.

- Seals and denials -

Belgian prosecutors said the alleged corruption dated from 2021 to the present and took "various forms".

These included "remuneration for taking political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches" as part of a bid to promote "purely private commercial interests" in political decisions.

The alleged kickbacks were concealed as conference expenses and paid to various intermediaries, the office said, adding it was looking at whether money laundering had also been involved.

Belgian authorities did not disclose the exact number of arrests, nor the identity of those held.

On Thursday, seals were placed on the doors of several offices used by parliamentary assistants in Brussels and Strasbourg.

Among them were offices used by the staff of lawmakers with Italy's Forza Italia party.

The party, which belongs to the EU parliament centre-right EPP group, said it was cooperating with authorities, adding its staff did not receive "any benefits", let alone invites to China or "stadium events".

Franc Bogovic, a former Slovenian lawmaker cited in several reports on the probe, also denied wrongdoing, telling local media he had been invited to conferences by the Chinese firm and participated in an internet project but did not do anything illegal.

At the heart of the alleged corruption is a former parliamentary assistant who was employed as Huawei's EU public affairs director, Belgian media said.

Huawei has been in the EU's crosshairs in recent years.

Brussels in 2023 described the telecoms giant as a higher risk to the bloc than other 5G suppliers and called on EU states to exclude its equipment from their mobile networks.

The tech firm has found itself at the centre of an intense rivalry between Beijing and Washington, with US officials warning its equipment could be used to spy on behalf of Chinese authorities -- allegations they deny.

Since 2019, US sanctions have cut off Huawei from global supply chains for technology and US-made components, a move that initially hammered its production of smartphones.

Related Links
Satellite-based Internet technologies

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
INTERNET SPACE
Taiwan tech giant Foxconn's 2024 profit misses forecasts
Taipei (AFP) Mar 14, 2025
Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn reported on Friday a lower-than-expected net profit for 2024 as consumer electronic gadgets underperformed, although demand for its artificial intelligence servers remained robust. The world's largest contract electronics manufacturer has been moving beyond assembling devices such as Apple's iPhones into areas ranging from electric vehicles to AI servers. The company said full-year net profit rose seven percent to NT$152.7 billion (US$4.6 billion). That compares ... read more

INTERNET SPACE
Joint initiatives to propel China's commercial space industry forward

China advances manned lunar program for 2030 moon landing

Shenzhou XIX crew successfully tests pipeline inspection robot on space station

Shenzhou 19 Crew Advances Scientific Research and Conducts Training in Space

INTERNET SPACE
Hong Kong's Hutchison under fire again for Panama ports deal

Latvia slaps traffic restrictions on Russia, Belarus borders

Bangladesh's Yunus to visit China this month

Markets start week on front foot as China unveils consumer plan

INTERNET SPACE
INTERNET SPACE
Trump, NATO secretary-general hold closed-door meeting at White House

In show of support and confidence, Putin makes surprise visit to Kursk

'Very broad consensus' emerging among Europeans on Ukraine: France

Prince William to visit UK troops in Estonia

INTERNET SPACE
Japan begins its first dismantling of a commercial nuclear reactor

Trump floats US takeover of Ukraine nuclear plants

Highly radioactive nuclear waste - how to keep it from oblivion

UN atomic chief visits uranium-mining Niger

INTERNET SPACE
Missing Chinese professor returns to Japan: university

Russian disinformation 'infects' AI chatbots, researchers warn

Musk says X hit by major cyberattack

Russia accuses U.K. of spying, expels 2 British diplomats

INTERNET SPACE
Japan begins its first dismantling of a commercial nuclear reactor

Trump floats US takeover of Ukraine nuclear plants

Highly radioactive nuclear waste - how to keep it from oblivion

UN atomic chief visits uranium-mining Niger

INTERNET SPACE
Engineers' new design of offshore energy system clears key hurdle

Student refines 100-year-old math problem, expanding wind energy possibilities

Berlin says offshore Chinese wind farm may pose security risk

Green energy projects adding to Sami people's climate woes: Amnesty

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.