BRUSSELS: A major blunder in a Belgian corruption investigation linked to Huawei has forced the European Parliament to revise its rules, aiming to protect lawmakers from unfounded accusations.
Italian MEP Giusi Princi was mistakenly named in the probe, despite having no connection to the case.
Princi, a member of Forza Italia, was shocked when she learned Belgian prosecutors sought to lift her parliamentary immunity in May.
Authorities alleged she attended a dinner with Huawei lobbyists in June 2023, but records showed she was not even in Belgium at the time. Instead, she was in Calabria attending her daughter’s school play.
“I cannot understand how they could have made such a blatant mistake,“ Princi told AFP.
Despite submitting nearly 100 pages of evidence, including geo-tagged photos, her name was still publicly announced before prosecutors withdrew the request.
The error prompted EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola to tighten procedures.
Future immunity waiver requests must now include clear details of alleged crimes before being disclosed. “I will not accept the targeting and tarnishing of MEPs without a solid basis,“ Metsola stated.
The mishap has raised concerns over Belgium’s handling of EU corruption cases.
Some lawmakers, like Green MEP Daniel Freund, argue such investigations should be handled by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. “Some question marks hang over the Huawei probe,“ Freund said.
The Huawei case, involving alleged bribes to influence EU policy, has seen eight people charged. Four other MEPs named alongside Princi deny wrongdoing. - AFP
