European law enforcement is investigating a widening bribery case involving at least 15 lawmakers linked to Huawei, one of China’s most powerful tech companies. Police in Belgium and Portugal carried out 21 raids as part of the ongoing probe, which centers around payments and gifts given to members of the European Parliament.
The case dates back to 2021, when Huawei allegedly began quietly offering cash and perks like paid travel, meals and access to soccer events in exchange for political favors. The influence effort reportedly ran for several years before police uncovered its scale.
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
Among the suspected tools of this lobbying operation was a 2021 letter circulated in Parliament that opposed efforts to restrict Chinese telecom firms. While the letter avoided naming Huawei directly, it reflected positions the company has pushed in public. Eight MEPs signed the letter, which prosecutors now suspect was orchestrated with financial backing from Huawei.
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 those lawmakers, Italian MEP Fulvio Martusciello, has been drawn into the investigation. His assistant and a former adviser have already been taken into custody. Investigators believe the individual responsible for drafting the letter was offered more than $16,000, while each co-signer may have received around $1,600.
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 European Union’s anti-fraud body, OLAF, was made aware of the suspicious activity when a nongovernmental organization raised concerns, but the agency opted not to launch an inquiry. OLAF officials claimed the information did not meet the threshold for an internal investigation.
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
The five individuals charged so far face accusations including corruption, money laundering and membership in a criminal organization. Four remain in custody, while one has been conditionally released. Prosecutors said the payments were disguised as business-related lobbying.
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
Huawei responded to the reports by stating it is committed to following all legal standards and maintains a strict anti-corruption policy.
