Belgian prosecutors seek to lift immunity of at least three MEPs in Huawei probe

Brussels – The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office is seeking to lift parliamentary immunity for Italian MEP Salvatore De Meo (Forza Italia/EPP), Bulgarian MEP Nikola Minchev (liberal), and Maltese MEP Daniel Attard (socialist) in the Huawei case. The three MEPs are under investigation for alleged corruption of members of the European Parliament. They have publicly stated that the Belgian authorities have contacted them.

On his Facebook page, Attard is defending himself and offering explanations. He is accused of having benefited from a ticket to the Anderlecht-Ferencváros Europa League match (played in Brussels on September 25, 2024). Huawei allegedly paid for the ticket, and according to his public statements, the MEP obtained it through his assistant. Attard claims he was unaware of the ticket’s origin and did not ask about it. Attard has reportedly sent a letter requesting a vote to waive his immunity so he can cooperate fully with the Belgian investigators.

De Meo, who is serving his second term and previously chaired the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, shared his side of the story with Ansa. He claims he only participated in an informal meeting with several people, including Huawei representatives. He described it as a “quiet” gathering with no ulterior motives. It is up to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to handle the situation in coordination with the Belgian authorities.