Belgian police have searched the home of a European Parliament employee and his office in the assembly’s building in Brussels over suspected Russian interference.
Prosecutors said the suspect’s office in Strasbourg, where the EU Parliament’s headquarters are in France, was also searched in partnership with the EU’s judicial co-operation agency, Eurojust, and French judicial authorities.
The raids on Wednesday took place less than two weeks before Europe-wide polls on June 6-9 to elect a new EU parliament.
An investigation was announced in April by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who said his country’s intelligence service had confirmed the existence of a network trying to undermine support for Ukraine.
“The searches are part of a case of interference, passive corruption and membership of a criminal organisation and relates to indications of Russian interference, whereby members of the European Parliament were approached and paid to promote Russian propaganda via the Voice of Europe news website,” prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said they believe the employee played “a significant role in this”.
Several Dutch news outlets identified the suspect as a staffer for EU MP Marcel de Graaff of the far-right Dutch party Forum for Democracy.
A person with knowledge of the investigation confirmed that the reports were accurate.
Calls to de Graaff’s office at the European Parliament were not immediately answered.
The EU in May banned Voice of Europe and three other Russian media from broadcasting in the 27-nation bloc.
The EU said they were under control of the Kremlin and were targeting “European political parties, especially during election periods”.
Since the war began in February 2022, the EU had already suspended Russia Today and Sputnik, among several other outlets.
De Croo said in April the probe showed that members of the European Parliament were approached and offered money to promote Russian propaganda.
“According to our intelligence service, the objectives of Moscow are very clear,” he said.
“The objective is to help elect more pro-Russian candidates to the European Parliament and to reinforce a certain pro-Russian narrative in that institution.”
EU nations have poured billions of euros into Ukraine, along with significant amounts of weaponry and ammunition.
They have also slapped sanctions on top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, banks, companies and the energy sector since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Source Agencies
