A search was carried out at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday morning as part of a criminal al investigation into possible Russian interference. The news of the search was first reported by the daily De Tijd and has been confirmed by the Federal Prosecutor's Office. The raid follows an investigation into the activities of the pro-Russian media organisation Voice of Europe.
Search at the European Parliament in Brussels as part of an investigation into Russian interference
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Eric Van Duyse of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office told VRT News that "As part of a case stated by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in April 2024 and on the orders of an examining magistrate from the Dutch-language section of the judicial authorities in Brussels, the Brussels Federal Judicial Police carried out searches at the residence of a member of staff of the European Parliament in Schaarbeek (Brussels), as well as at his office at the European Parliament in Brussels”.
‘Simultaneously and in close collaboration with Eurojust and the French judicial authorities, a search was also carried out at the request of the Belgian examining magistrate working on the case at the office of the person in question at the European Parliament in Strasbourg”.
According to a source close to the case, the person in question is a former parliamentary assistant to German MEP Maximilian Krah, of the far-right party AfD. The man is currently parliamentary assistant to Dutch MEP Marcel de Graaff, a member of the Dutch Eurosceptic and conservative party Forum for Democracy.
The Dutch press agency ANP reports that Marcel de Graaff's home was also searched by the judicial authorities. According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, the searches are part of an investigation into interference, passive corruption and participation in a criminal organisation. MEPs were allegedly approached and paid to spread Russian propaganda via the pro-Russian news website Voice of Europe. “There is evidence that the European Parliament employee in question played an important role in this case".
Voice of Europe
An investigation into the activities of the Prague-based media outlet Voice of Europe was launched in March after the Czech intelligence services revealed the existence of a Russian-backed network that was attempting to influence public opinion and the political debate across Europe. The network spread pro-Russian propaganda via the Voice of Europe website with, above all, the aim of influencing the forthcoming European elections and dissuading the European Union from helping Ukraine in its war against Russia. The EU sanctioned Voice of Europe at the beginning of May, preventing it from broadcasting or publishing its information within the European Union.
Following this, the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Flemish liberal) announced that the Belgian federal prosecutor's office had opened an investigation into alleged Russian interference at the European Parliament. Mr De Croo did not comment on the ongoing investigation, but stressed that he was “cooperating fully with the police and judicial authorities in order to ensure that justice would be done”.