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Belgian Prosecutors Probe Alleged Corruption in European Parliament

FILED - 20 July 2022, Belgium, Brussels: Flags of the European Union wave in the wind in front of the Berlaymont building of the European Commission in Brussels. Photo: dpa
FILED - 20 July 2022, Belgium, Brussels: Flags of the European Union wave in the wind in front of the Berlaymont building of the European Commission in Brussels. Photo: dpa
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Belgian Prosecutors Probe Alleged Corruption in European Parliament

FILED - 20 July 2022, Belgium, Brussels: Flags of the European Union wave in the wind in front of the Berlaymont building of the European Commission in Brussels. Photo: dpa
FILED - 20 July 2022, Belgium, Brussels: Flags of the European Union wave in the wind in front of the Berlaymont building of the European Commission in Brussels. Photo: dpa

Belgian prosecutors said on Thursday several individuals had been arrested for questioning in connection with their alleged involvement in active corruption within the European Parliament.
The prosecutors said 21 searches were carried out by the Federal Police in the Brussels region, as well as in Flanders, Wallonia and in Portugal, Reuters reported.
Prosecutors did not disclose names and functions of the people involved and were not available for further comment.
Corruption, forgery and use of false documents is believed to have taken place regularly and "very discreetly" from 2021 to the present day, the prosecutors said.
It happened "under the guise of commercial lobbying and taking various forms, such as remuneration for taking political positions or excessive gifts such as food and travel expenses or regular invitations to football matches," they added.
The prosecutors said several documents and objects had been seized, with the aim to also detect any evidence of money laundering.

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US Imposes Sanctions on Iranian Oil Minister

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks to reporters before walking into the White House in Washington, US, March 13, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks to reporters before walking into the White House in Washington, US, March 13, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Imposes Sanctions on Iranian Oil Minister

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks to reporters before walking into the White House in Washington, US, March 13, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks to reporters before walking into the White House in Washington, US, March 13, 2025. (Reuters)

The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and some Hong Kong-flagged vessels that are part of a shadow fleet that helps disguise Iranian oil shipments, the Treasury Department said.

President Donald Trump re-imposed a "maximum pressure" policy on Iran in February that includes efforts to drive its oil exports to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and funding militant groups.

Paknejad "oversees the export of tens of billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil and has allocated billions of dollars’ worth of oil to Iran’s armed forces for export," Treasury said in a statement.

“The Iranian regime continues to use the proceeds from the nation’s vast oil resources to advance its narrow, alarming self-interests at the expense of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

“Treasury will fight and disrupt any attempts by the regime to fund its destabilizing activities and further its dangerous agenda.”

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Treasury also designated owners or operators of vessels that have delivered Iranian oil to China or lifted it from storage there, it said. Those were in multiple jurisdictions, including India and China, it said.

Iran's military relies on a vast shadow fleet of ships to disguise shipments of oil worth billions of dollars to China.

Thursday's designated vessels include the Hong Kong-flagged Peace Hill and its owner Hong Kong Heshun Transportation Trading Limited, the Iran-flagged Polaris 1, the Seychelles-registered Fallon Shipping Company Ltd, and the Liberia-registered Itaugua Services Inc, Treasury said.

The US Department of State is designating three entities and three vessels as blocked property, it said.