Latest news with #GiusiPrinci
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Huawei probe blunder sparks EU parliament rules change
EU parliament president Roberta Metsola named Giusi Princi among the lawmakers targeted by authorities. (EPA Images pic) STRASBOURG : When European lawmaker Giusi Princi learnt she was sought by Belgian authorities over a graft investigation linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei in May, she was 'dumbfounded'. It soon turned out she had nothing to do with it – in a mix-up that has undermined confidence in the probe and pushed the European parliament to review its rules to better shield lawmakers from unfounded accusations. 'To this day, I cannot understand how they could have made such a blatant mistake,' Princi told AFP of Belgian prosecutors. The Brussels prosecutor office did not reply to a request for comment. Princi, 52, a member of late Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, was targeted by a request to lift her parliamentary immunity in mid-May, along with four other lawmakers. Prosecutors alleged she attended a Brussels dinner with Huawei representatives seeking to curry favour among parliamentarians in June last year. However, on the day in question the Italian politician was yet to be formally appointed to the 27-nation bloc's assembly following European elections that month. She secured a seat only after another lawmaker renounced his. Also, she was not in Belgium but in her native southern Calabria region, attending her daughter's Alice-in-Wonderland-themed end-of-year school play. No more 'tarnishing' Describing herself as 'stubborn and pig-headed', Princi lawyered up, compiled an 'almost 100-page long' dossier including geo-tagged photos of her daughter in a princess dress, and sent it to prosecutors. Yet, her bid to get exonerated before things became public failed. On May 21 EU parliament president Roberta Metsola named Princi among lawmakers targeted by authorities before a plenary sitting. That was a step required by parliamentary procedure before the case could be passed to the committee on legal affairs, which is tasked to assess immunity waivers. However, the rules have since been revised, for, in an embarrassing about-face, prosecutors withdrew the request targeting Princi a day after she was publicly named. 'I will not accept the targeting and tarnishing of MEPs without a solid basis,' Metsola told a press conference in late June, announcing the changes. Her office said that going forward parliament will require requests to lift a lawmaker's immunity to include 'essential elements' such as a clear description of the facts and the crime the accused is alleged to have committed. 'If the requests do not meet the minimum elements, the requesting authority will be asked to complement it' before any announcement is made,' Metsola's office said. Although brief, Princi said her involvement in the affair caused her a fair amount of stress during a few 'days of hell' – and dirty looks from colleagues. 'Question marks' The fiasco has fuelled a debate on whether Belgian authorities are best placed to investigate EU corruption. Daniel Freund, a transparency campaigner turned lawmaker for Europe's Greens, is among those who would like the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which already probes the misuse of EU funds, to be tasked with such cases. 'I guess the Belgian taxpayer doesn't have a particular interest to dedicate a lot of resources to making sure that EU institutions are clean. 'But since EU institutions are located in Belgium, it somehow falls into their remit,' he told AFP. An earlier scandal over alleged bribery involving Qatar and Morocco, which erupted in 2022 when police raids in Brussels uncovered 1.5 million euros in cash at the homes of several lawmakers, is still weighed down in legal challenges with no trial in sight. Were that to collapse, it 'would seriously put into question the role of the Belgian judiciary,' Freund said, adding 'some question marks' also hung over the Huawei probe. The Huawei scandal burst into the public in March when police staged raids in Belgium and Portugal. Investigators suspect Huawei lobbyists of offering gifts, including meals and invitations to football matches to lawmakers who would defend its interests in Brussels. Eight people have been charged on counts including corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organisation. The four EU lawmakers named besides Princi have denied any wrongdoing.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Huawei probe blunder sparks EU parliament rules change
When European lawmaker Giusi Princi learnt she was sought by Belgian authorities over a graft investigation linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei in May, she was "dumbfounded". It soon turned out she had nothing to do with it -- in a mix-up that has undermined confidence in the probe and pushed the European Parliament to review its rules to better shield lawmakers from unfounded accusations. "To this day I cannot understand how they could have made such a blatant mistake," Princi told AFP of Belgian prosecutors. The Brussels prosecutor office did not reply to a request for comment. Princi, 52, a member of late Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, was targeted by a request to lift her parliamentary immunity in mid-May, along with four other lawmakers. Prosecutors alleged she attended a Brussels dinner with Huawei representatives seeking to curry favour among parliamentarians in June last year. But on the day in question the Italian politician was yet to be formally appointed to the 27-nation bloc's assembly following European elections that month. She secured a seat only after another lawmaker renounced his. Also, she was not in Belgium but in her native southern Calabria region, attending her daughter's Alice-in-Wonderland-themed end-of-year school play. - No more 'tarnishing' - Describing herself as "stubborn and pig-headed", Princi lawyered up, compiled an "almost 100-page long" dossier including geo-tagged photos of her daughter in a princess dress, and sent it to prosecutors. Yet, her bid to get exonerated before things became public failed. On May 21 EU parliament president Roberta Metsola named Princi among lawmakers targeted by authorities before a plenary sitting. That was a step required by parliamentary procedure before the case could be passed to the committee on legal affairs, which is tasked to assess immunity waivers. But the rules have since been revised, for, in an embarrassing about-face, prosecutors withdrew the request targeting Princi a day after she was publicly named. "I will not accept the targeting and tarnishing of MEPs without a solid basis," Metsola told a press conference in late June, announcing the changes. Her office said that going forward parliament will require requests to lift a lawmaker's immunity to include "essential elements" such as a clear description of the facts and the crime the accused is alleged to have committed. "If the requests do not meet the minimum elements, the requesting authority will be asked to complement it" before any announcement is made, Metsola's office said. Although brief, Princi said her involvement in the affair caused her a fair amount of stress during a few "days of hell" -- and dirty looks from colleagues. - 'Question marks' - The fiasco has fuelled a debate on whether Belgian authorities are best placed to investigate EU corruption. Daniel Freund, a transparency campaigner turned lawmaker for Europe's Greens, is among those who would like the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which already probes the misuse of EU funds, to be tasked with such cases. "I guess the Belgian taxpayer doesn't have a particular interest to dedicate a lot of resources to making sure that EU institutions are clean. But since EU institutions are located in Belgium, it somehow falls into their remit," he told AFP. An earlier scandal over alleged bribery involving Qatar and Morocco, which erupted in 2022 when police raids in Brussels uncovered 1.5 million euros in cash at the homes of several lawmakers, is still weighed down in legal challenges with no trial in sight. Were that to collapse, it "would seriously put into question the role of the Belgian judiciary," Freund said, adding "some question marks" also hung over the Huawei probe. The Huawei scandal burst into the public in March when police staged raids in Belgium and Portugal. Investigators suspect Huawei lobbyists of offering gifts, including meals and invitations to football matches to lawmakers who would defend its interests in Brussels. Eight people have been charged on counts including corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organisation. The four EU lawmakers named besides Princi have denied any wrongdoing. ub/del/giv
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Huawei probe blunder sparks EU parliament rules change
When European lawmaker Giusi Princi learnt she was sought by Belgian authorities over a graft investigation linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei in May, she was "dumbfounded". It soon turned out she had nothing to do with it -- in a mix-up that has undermined confidence in the probe and pushed the European Parliament to review its rules to better shield lawmakers from unfounded accusations. "To this day I cannot understand how they could have made such a blatant mistake," Princi told AFP of Belgian prosecutors. The Brussels prosecutor office did not reply to a request for comment. Princi, 52, a member of late Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, was targeted by a request to lift her parliamentary immunity in mid-May, along with four other lawmakers. Prosecutors alleged she attended a Brussels dinner with Huawei representatives seeking to curry favour among parliamentarians in June last year. But on the day in question the Italian politician was yet to be formally appointed to the 27-nation bloc's assembly following European elections that month. She secured a seat only after another lawmaker renounced his. Also, she was not in Belgium but in her native southern Calabria region, attending her daughter's Alice-in-Wonderland-themed end-of-year school play. - No more 'tarnishing' - Describing herself as "stubborn and pig-headed", Princi lawyered up, compiled an "almost 100-page long" dossier including geo-tagged photos of her daughter in a princess dress, and sent it to prosecutors. Yet, her bid to get exonerated before things became public failed. On May 21 EU parliament president Roberta Metsola named Princi among lawmakers targeted by authorities before a plenary sitting. That was a step required by parliamentary procedure before the case could be passed to the committee on legal affairs, which is tasked to assess immunity waivers. But the rules have since been revised, for, in an embarrassing about-face, prosecutors withdrew the request targeting Princi a day after she was publicly named. "I will not accept the targeting and tarnishing of MEPs without a solid basis," Metsola told a press conference in late June, announcing the changes. Her office said that going forward parliament will require requests to lift a lawmaker's immunity to include "essential elements" such as a clear description of the facts and the crime the accused is alleged to have committed. "If the requests do not meet the minimum elements, the requesting authority will be asked to complement it" before any announcement is made, Metsola's office said. Although brief, Princi said her involvement in the affair caused her a fair amount of stress during a few "days of hell" -- and dirty looks from colleagues. - 'Question marks' - The fiasco has fuelled a debate on whether Belgian authorities are best placed to investigate EU corruption. Daniel Freund, a transparency campaigner turned lawmaker for Europe's Greens, is among those who would like the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which already probes the misuse of EU funds, to be tasked with such cases. "I guess the Belgian taxpayer doesn't have a particular interest to dedicate a lot of resources to making sure that EU institutions are clean. But since EU institutions are located in Belgium, it somehow falls into their remit," he told AFP. An earlier scandal over alleged bribery involving Qatar and Morocco, which erupted in 2022 when police raids in Brussels uncovered 1.5 million euros in cash at the homes of several lawmakers, is still weighed down in legal challenges with no trial in sight. Were that to collapse, it "would seriously put into question the role of the Belgian judiciary," Freund said, adding "some question marks" also hung over the Huawei probe. The Huawei scandal burst into the public in March when police staged raids in Belgium and Portugal. Investigators suspect Huawei lobbyists of offering gifts, including meals and invitations to football matches to lawmakers who would defend its interests in Brussels. Eight people have been charged on counts including corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organisation. The four EU lawmakers named besides Princi have denied any wrongdoing.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
EU Parliament revises rules after Huawei probe blunder targets wrong lawmaker
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
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Belgium drops push to lift MEP's immunity in Huawei case
Belgian authorities have withdrawn a request for the European parliament to lift the immunity of an Italian deputy in a graft probe involving Chinese tech giant Huawei, the parliament said Thursday. Centre-right lawmaker Giusi Princi had insisted she was a victim of "mistaken identity" after prosecutors targeted her with four other MEPs as part of a corruption investigation. Princi said she was accused of attending a meeting last June that she did not participate in, for on that day she was in Italy for her daughter's end-of-year school play. The Belgian climbdown came just a day after parliament chief Roberta Metsola publicly named the five lawmakers facing requests to have their immunity lifted. Metsola's office confirmed the "withdrawal of the request to lift MEP Princi's immunity." The lawmaker said in a social media post that the u-turn had come in "record time". "I am relieved that in less than 24 hours the prosecutor's office backtracked, acknowledging my complete lack of involvement in the Huaweigate case," Princi wrote. The corruption scandal the second to rock the EU body in recent years erupted in March after police staged raids in Belgium and Portugal. Investigators suspect Huawei lobbyists of offering gifts to lawmakers who would defend its interests in Brussels. Eight people have been charged on counts including corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organisation. Four other MEPs Maltese socialist Daniel Attard, Bulgarian centrist Nikola Minchev, and centre-right Italians Salvatore de Meo and Fulvio Martusciello still face having their parliamentary immunity lifted. At least three of the lawmakers denied any wrongdoing. Huawei has previously said it takes the graft allegations "seriously" and has "a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption". The probe comes two years after EU lawmakers were accused of being paid to promote the interests of Qatar and Morocco allegations both countries deny. bur-del/tw
