The Belgian public prosecutor is investigating alleged corruption and influence in the European Parliament by a Gulf state. According to media reports, it is Qatar. On Friday, there were 16 house searches in Brussels and four people were arrested, prosecutors said.
The investigation is about a suspected criminal organization and allegations of money laundering. The public prosecutor does not want to say which Gulf state is involved. According to research by the newspaper “Le Soir” and the magazine “Knack” it concerns Qatar.
Considerable sums of money and gifts in kind
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the Belgian police have suspected for several months that a Gulf state is trying to influence the political and economic decisions of the European Parliament. Significant amounts of money or gifts in kind were allegedly distributed to persons in parliament who held political or strategic positions.
In essence, Friday’s operation was aimed primarily at employees of MPs, it said. Among the respondents was also a former MEP. It was initially unclear whether he was also arrested. According to the public prosecutor’s office, 600,000 euros in cash and mobile phones were seized during the house searches.
Source: Krone

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