A major blunder in a Belgian-led investigation into alleged lobbying by Chinese tech giant Huawei has triggered a shake-up in the European Parliament’s rules on lifting lawmakers’ immunity.
Italian MEP Giusi Princi, a member of the late Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, was mistakenly named in May as part of a corruption probe tied to Huawei. Belgian prosecutors alleged she attended a 2023 dinner in Brussels with Huawei officials aimed at currying favor among lawmakers. However, Princi had not yet assumed office at the time and was in Calabria, Italy, attending her daughter’s school play.
“I was dumbfounded,” Princi told AFP. “To this day I cannot understand how they could have made such a blatant mistake.” Despite submitting a nearly 100-page dossier of evidence including geo-tagged photos to prove her innocence, her exoneration came only after her name was publicly read in Parliament.
Parliament President Roberta Metsola acknowledged the procedural failure, saying the episode tarnished Princi’s reputation unjustly. Metsola has since announced a revision of internal rules. Now, any request to lift an MEP’s immunity must include “essential elements” such as a detailed description of the alleged offense. Incomplete requests will be returned to the originating authority before being presented publicly.
Princi described the ordeal as “days of hell,” facing undue suspicion and scrutiny. The mistake has raised broader questions about the role of Belgian authorities in EU corruption investigations.
Daniel Freund, a Green MEP and transparency advocate, called for the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) to take over such probes. He questioned Belgium’s motivation and capacity, especially in light of the slow-moving Qatar-Morocco bribery scandal, which remains mired in legal delays.
The Huawei investigation itself has seen eight people charged with corruption and related offenses. While four other MEPs remain under scrutiny, all deny any wrongdoing.
The incident has not only embarrassed prosecutors but also prompted the EU to strengthen safeguards to protect lawmakers from premature and potentially baseless accusations.
