TL;DRThe European Parliament voted 344-234 to lift the immunity of Italian MEP Fulvio Martusciello, head of Italy’s EPP delegation, allowing Belgian prosecutors to investigate him in the Huaweigate bribery probe. The scandal involves alleged cash payments from Huawei lobbyists to MEPs for political support on 5G policy.
The European Parliament voted on Tuesday to lift the parliamentary immunity of Fulvio Martusciello, clearing the way for Belgian prosecutors to pursue bribery allegations linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei. The vote was 344 in favour, 234 against, with 25 abstentions.
Martusciello, an Italian MEP from Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party and head of the Italian national delegation within the EPP Group Bureau, is one of the most senior figures to be drawn into the “Huaweigate” corruption scandal. He has denied any wrongdoing.
What he is accused of
Belgian prosecutors allege that Huawei lobbyists paid cash to sitting MEPs in exchange for political support, including adding their names to letters defending the company as it faced growing pressure across Europe over 5G security risks. The payments were allegedly channelled through Valerio Ottati, Huawei’s EU public affairs director, whom investigators consider a central figure in the scheme.
