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.



Bomb Targeting Bus Carrying Security Forces Kills 5 and Wounds 10 in Restive Southwestern Pakistan

An armed Pakistani security official stands guard during an inspection of the scene where a train was hijacked by suspected militants, in Sibi, Pakistan, 15 March 2025. EPA/STRINGER
An armed Pakistani security official stands guard during an inspection of the scene where a train was hijacked by suspected militants, in Sibi, Pakistan, 15 March 2025. EPA/STRINGER
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Bomb Targeting Bus Carrying Security Forces Kills 5 and Wounds 10 in Restive Southwestern Pakistan

An armed Pakistani security official stands guard during an inspection of the scene where a train was hijacked by suspected militants, in Sibi, Pakistan, 15 March 2025. EPA/STRINGER
An armed Pakistani security official stands guard during an inspection of the scene where a train was hijacked by suspected militants, in Sibi, Pakistan, 15 March 2025. EPA/STRINGER

A roadside bomb exploded near a bus carrying security forces in restive southwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least five officers and wounding 10 others, police said.
The attack occurred in Naushki, a district in Balochistan, said Zafar Zamanani, a local police chief. He said the blast also badly damaged another nearby bus. The dead and wounded were transported to a nearby hospital, The Associated Press said.
Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan, condemned the attack.
No one immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, which days ago ambushed a train, took about 400 people on board hostage and killed 26 hostages before security forces launched an operation and killed all the 33 attackers.
Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and least populated province. Ethnic Baloch residents have long accused the central government of discrimination — a charge Islamabad denies. Baloch Liberation Army has been demanding independence from the central government.