Huawei is currently at the center of a significant scandal involving accusations of bribery related to the European Parliament. This investigation, spearheaded by Belgian authorities, has led to multiple arrests across Europe, raising serious concerns about foreign meddling and the integrity of political processes within the European Union.
Since 2021, a large-scale probe into allegations of corruption, forgery, and money laundering has been quietly taking place. As part of this, over 100 officers executed 21 searches in Belgium and Portugal, with an additional arrest happening in France. It was reported that office seals were placed on spaces belonging to two parliamentary assistants suspected of involvement.
The investigation accuses Huawei of using luxury gifts, paid travels, and event invitations purportedly for commercial lobbying, as a means to unduly influence European political affairs. The probe further suggests that specific political stances could have been financially supported as part of their tactics. Additionally, it is alleged that some payments were masked as business expenses or routed through third parties.
A key individual highlighted by the probe is Valerio Ottati, a Belgian-Italian lobbyist who became affiliated with Huawei in 2019. Before taking on the role of EU public affairs director at the company, Ottati served as an assistant to two Italian MEPs focusing on EU-China relations.
Huawei has denied the allegations against them. A spokesperson for the company stated, “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 tech giant has previously faced several limitations and bans across Europe over national security concerns. Nations including the UK, Germany, France, and Sweden have implemented restrictions on Huawei infrastructure in their mobile networks. The continued involvement of Huawei in European 5G networks has particularly worried the European Commission. Though the European Commission has not yet formally commented on this recent development, EU Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier emphasized the importance of network security, saying, “Security of our 5G networks is obviously crucial for our economy.”
Regnier further stated, “Huawei represents materially higher risks than other 5G suppliers… a lack of swift action would expose the EU as a whole to a clear risk.”
