The Belgian police raided the headquarters of the European People’s Party (EPP) in Brussels on Tuesday (4 April), a source close to the matter told EURACTIV.com.
“Belgian policemen raided the first and third floor of the headquarters of the party in Rue du Commerce”, the source said.
According to the initial information, the police seized computers related to an ongoing inquiry into alleged corruption during the 2019 EU election campaign.
CDU lawmaker Mario Voigt was the Digital Campaign Manager for EPP leader Manfred Weber during the 2019 European election campaign, and the inquiries centre on the awarding of the contract for the digital campaign to a company in Thuringia, according to German media reports.
Voigt is now leader of the CDU in Thuringia. Last September, the Thuringia state parliament’s judiciary committee waived his legal immunity pending investigation by the German public prosecutor although it is unclear whether this case is related.
The conservative EPP is the oldest and biggest European political group.
In a short statement, the EPP confirmed that “representatives from the Belgian and German police authorities visited the party headquarters in Brussels” on 4 April, adding that “the visit is connected to an ongoing inquiry in Thuringia, Germany.”
“The party is cooperating in full transparency with the authorities involved, providing all relevant information and documentation.”
The story will be updated.
[Sarantis Michalopoulos | EURACTIV.com – Edited by Benjamin Fox]
Source: euractiv.com
