EditMEPs deny wrongdoing in the Huawei affair, admit having attended matches, social gatherings
A string of assistants have reportedly involved MEPs in Huawei’s promotion, even without their knowledge
The Belgian public prosecutor has formally requested the lifting of immunity for several members of the European Parliament in connection with an influence-peddling case allegedly involving Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. Among those reportedly targeted are Bulgarian MEP Nikola Minchev from the Renew Europe group, Maltese socialist MEP Daniel Attard, and European People’s Party lawmaker Salvatore De Meo.
Minchev and Attard have both denied any connection to Huawei. They claim they became entangled in the investigation for attending two football matches in Belgium, unaware at the time that they were seated in a box associated with the Chinese company.
Minchev pledges “full cooperation”
Nikola Minchev, a lawyer and former speaker of the Bulgarian parliament, led the list of the pro-European liberal anti corruption coalition We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria in the last EU elections. In a public statement, he confirmed he had been notified of a request by the Belgian public prosecutor’s office to lift his parliamentary immunity.
“This is in order to check whether I have any connection with the part of the alleged activities for which my former assistant is being investigated. I would like to emphasize that there is no charge or accusation against me,” Minchev stated.
He expressed full willingness to cooperate with the Belgian authorities, including requesting the European Parliament to lift his immunity: “I have no relation to any illegal activities, nor anything to worry about.”
Minchev recounted attending a match between Anderlecht and Bulgarian club Ludogorets in October 2023, explaining that the invitation came from his assistant’s friend for a child’s birthday celebration.
“We brought a present, there were around ten people including children. After the game, we left. My presence at this event is now the reason why the authorities want to investigate whether there is anything wrong with this,” Minchev said.
He stressed that the bulk of the investigation concerns activities by his former assistant, Adam Mukhtar, prior to his employment in Minchev’s office. Mukhtar’s parliamentary office was raided in March as part of the ongoing probe and Minchev fired him after the news of the investigation broke.
EUalive has learned that the assistant’s “friend” who hosted guests at the football match was no other than Valerio Ottati, a Huawei senior employee, who is allegedly at the centre of the Belgian investigation.
Minchev is an MEP only since 2024, while his former assistant Mukhtar has had a long career in the European Parliament, where he has worked with several MEPs. Reportedly, Ottati has used a string of assistants to involve MEPs in Huawei’s promotion, even without their knowledge.
Attard: “I had no idea it was Huawei’s box”
Maltese MEP Daniel Attard also took to social media to deny wrongdoing. He confirmed he is being investigated for attending another football match in September 2024 in what later turned out to be Huawei’s corporate box at the Anderlecht stadium in Brussels.
“I was not informed that the invitation came from any company or that it involved a corporate box,” Attard explained. “Later it became clear that the invitation came from a person currently under investigation by Belgian authorities, who intended to talk to me about Huawei during the game.”
He said that after a subsequent meeting in Parliament with representatives of the company, “there was no further communication, and I took no actions in relation to Huawei or any issues involving the company.”
Social gathering
Italian lawmaker Salvatore De Meo (Forza Italia, EPP) confirmed to Euractiv that he is among the MEPs targeted by a Belgian request to lift immunity as part of a probe into alleged covert payments.
“In my case,” De Meo said, “it concerns a social gathering, not organised by Huawei, held outside the European Parliament, where Huawei representatives were allegedly present.”
“I have never taken a position in favour of Huawei, either in the form of signing letters, submitting amendments, or any legislative activity attributable to their interests.” De Meo added.
Scope of the investigation and other suspects
The case is part of a larger investigation into Huawei’s lobbying activities in the EU, which reportedly began in 2021. Belgian prosecutors have charged at least eight individuals, including one of Huawei’s top European executives, with active corruption, money laundering, and organised criminal activity following raids in Belgium, France, and Portugal.
Authorities are also investigating a group of eight MEPs who signed a letter in February 2021 to three European Commissioners. The letter argued that geopolitical tensions should not hinder the rollout of 5G equipment in Europe – a position seen as favourable to Huawei. Investigators are probing whether these MEPs received any form of compensation for their support.
European Parliament yet to formally announce names
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is expected to announce the full list of MEPs involved in the immunity lift requests on 21 May at the opening of the plenary session. A Parliament spokesperson said: “Each request becomes public only once it is announced in plenary – the earliest session after its receipt.”
Belgium’s federal prosecutor declined to comment on the case.
Huawei lobbying under scrutiny
The affair gained wider public attention in March 2024, when Dutch investigative platform Follow The Money revealed that 15 current and former MEPs were suspected of accepting bribes from Huawei. Just hours before the story broke, Belgian federal police raided the offices and homes of suspected Huawei lobbyists, as well as company premises in Portugal.
The raids followed a two-year investigation into alleged covert lobbying by Huawei, which Belgian authorities believe involved expensive gifts, dinners, trips, and football match invitations.
EU institutions have in recent years adopted a more cautious stance toward Chinese tech firms. “We should focus on risk reduction, not decoupling from China,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in 2023. Multiple EU countries currently classify Huawei as a “high-risk” 5G supplier.
In March, former Transparency International EU director Michiel van Hulten claimed in a Bluesky post that he had previously submitted an anonymous complaint to the EU’s anti-fraud body OLAF, alleging involvement of eight MEPs from the EPP and S&D groups. His complaint was reportedly dismissed at the time.
Sources: Bulgarian Telegraph Agency BTA, Euractiv, Politico
Caption: Journalists and Influencers inspect new Huawei products during a product launch event, in Berlin, Germany, 15 May 2025. The focus is on two new product series – the Huawei Watch 5 and the Watch Fit 4 series. [EPA-EFE/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE]
Updated: May 20, 2025 - 15:56
