It’s published •update
Belgian authorities have called on the European Parliament to waive the exemption for five members, Parliament President Roberta Metosora announced Wednesday at the start of a plenary session in Brussels.
The request relates to an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and illegal lobbying involving Chinese company Huawei and some EU lawmakers and assistants.
Three of the five MEPs involved belong to the European People’s Party on the center right. Italians Salvatore de Meo, Gios Princi, and Fulvio Martas Schello. Others are Maltese socialist MEP Daniel Attado and Bulgaria’s new European MEP Nikola Minchev.
In an earlier statement to Euronows, Martusciello denied corruption, saying that he had only met a Huawei lobbyist in Moowai, and that he and his staff had never attended the company’s office.
De Meo had expected to include it on a list that told Italian news agency Ansa:
He argued that he never took a position in Huawei’s favor by signing letters, presenting amendments, or presenting legislative activities that stem from the company’s interests.
Attard said on his Facebook page that it was related to requests related to his presence in a football match between Belgian team Anderlecht and Hungarian team Ferencváros last September.
“I was not informed that the invitation was born from any company or that it involved a company’s box. I was informed that a friend of his friend had tickets for the match (…) revealed that the invitation came from someone currently being investigated by the Belgian authorities.
The topic was temporarily raised during the game, read the post, then a meeting was requested, and two weeks later in Strasbourg.
Attard stated that he has not communicated with the company since then, taking matters related to it “no action” or company-related, and he asked President Metsola to write a letter to formally exempt him from his immunity.
His attendance at the Anderlecht football match (Anderlecht-Ludogorets last October) was behind the request of Bulgarian MEP Minchev, he said in a statement to the Bulgarian press agency BTA.
“I’ll work with 100%. I’ll ask the EP to lift immunity as soon as possible, as it has nothing to do with these people’s illegal activities or concerns,” he said.
Each request for exemption will be assigned to the reporter of the European Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), whose next meeting is foreseen on June 4-5.
The juri committee will prepare a report that approves or rejects requests by Belgian prosecutors, but each MEP involved will be given the opportunity to be asked and can present documented and other written evidence.
The whole of the Congress has the power to decide whether to lift the MEP’s immunity by a simple majority vote.
None of the five MEPs responded to requests for comment from EuroNews.
