Romanian MEPs probed in EU corruption case linked to Huawei

Three Romanian MEPs, along with five others, are under investigation in the European Parliament corruption probe. Belgian prosecutors are examining whether they received €1,500 each from Huawei in 2021 to sign a letter defending the Chinese company’s interests.

Belgian prosecutors are investigating whether Huawei made illegal payments to eight MEPs in exchange for supporting the company’s interests in an official letter sent to the European Commission in 2021. The letter, addressed to three European commissioners, warned that geopolitical tensions should not hinder the development of 5G infrastructure in Europe. Although the document did not explicitly mention Huawei, investigators view it as indirect support for the company, given the measures taken by some EU states to limit the use of Chinese equipment for security reasons.

According to Belgian prosecutors, the main author of the letter received €15,000, while each co-signatory received €1,500. The names of three Romanian MEPs appear in the letter: Cristian-Silviu Bușoi, Daniel Buda, and Tudor Ciuhodaru.

Daniel Buda (PNL) blamed his team’s involvement, stating that he had been informed via a briefing prepared by his office: “My support was solely driven by concerns about rural digital infrastructure and was not influenced by external parties.” He added that neither he nor his team received money in exchange for his signature. “I had no knowledge—neither then nor now—that there could be such a scheme behind this letter or activity,” Buda told Politico.

Cristian-Silviu Bușoi (PNL) stated, “I looked through my official email and found no correspondence related to this letter.” He referred to the actions of Italian MP Fulvio Martusciello, one of the signatories, who promoted the letter on Twitter and submitted several amendments to a parliamentary report favoring Huawei’s position in Europe. “I don’t recall giving my verbal consent to Mr. Martusciello, as is sometimes customary when colleagues seek support for their initiatives,” Bușoi added, emphasizing that neither he nor his staff received any compensation or were aware of any scheme related to the letter.

Tudor Ciuhodaru (who was a PSD member at the time) did not respond to Politico’s requests for comment.

Following this new scandal, 28 MEPs have urged the European Parliament’s leadership to temporarily exclude any deputies suspected of corruption from activities related to China. The case bears similarities to the 2022 “Qatargate” scandal—a major corruption case in which members of the European Parliament were accused of receiving bribes from Qatar and Morocco to influence EU decisions in favor of these countries.