In a significant development, Belgian authorities retracted their request to lift the immunity of European parliamentarian Giusi Princi concerning an investigation into a cash-for-influence scandal tied to the Chinese technology giant, Huawei. This withdrawal occurred less than a day after European Parliament President Roberta Metsola initially announced the request.
On Wednesday afternoon, Metsola revealed that the immunity waiver was sought not just for Princi, a center-right member from Italy, but also for four other Members of the European Parliament (MEPs): Nikola Minchev, Daniel Attard, Fulvio Martusciello, and Salvatore De Meo. However, Metsola’s office confirmed that the process for Princi’s immunity waiver would be halted while the requests for the remaining four MEPs would continue as planned.
Context of the withdrawal
In a statement, Metsola’s office indicated, “We are still waiting for the official documentation to arrive via the established official channels (Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Once received, it will be processed swiftly,” referring specifically to the request’s withdrawal.
Princi has long contested the rationale behind the Belgian police’s investigation into her. She pointed out that she was in Italy during the alleged meeting in question and had not yet assumed her duties as an MEP at that time. “The investigating judge has received new elements from the federal police which justify the pure and simple withdrawal of the aforementioned request for revocation of parliamentary immunity,” she stated in an email on Thursday.
“I am relieved by the request for urgent revocation to confirm my total non-involvement in the so-called Huaweigate, although I am still shocked at having been involved on the basis of objectively non-existent elements,” Princi added.
Impact on EU lawmakers
This turn of events is likely to exacerbate the frustrations of EU lawmakers with Belgian authorities, particularly in light of the ongoing difficulties in securing convictions related to the Qatargate cash-for-influence scandal, which severely tarnished the European Parliament’s image in 2022. The Belgian prosecutor’s office has yet to respond to inquiries regarding this matter.
Elisa Braun contributed to this report.