Belgian and German police raided the headquarters of the European People’s Party (EPP) in Brussels on Tuesday, as part of an investigation into financial irregularities.
While many people in Brussels' Eurobubble immediately assumed the raid had something to do with the Qatargate corruption scandal that has been shaking up the European Parliament for over three months now, it later became clear that it had nothing to do with that.
Instead, the raids were linked to an ongoing inquiry into financial irregularities from the former parliamentary leader Mario Voigt of the German centre-right party CDU.
The EPP – which is the largest political grouping in the European Parliament – released a statement not long after the raids, saying that "the party is cooperating in full transparency" and will provide "all relevant documentation."
Voigt, was the digital campaign lead for the EPP and also for the party president Manfred Weber when he was running to be the next President of the European Commission, in 2019. But he has come under increased scrutiny over his activities outside of politics, particularly in his role as a university professor at the Quadriga Hochschule Berlin and his work as a consultant.
The German politician is suspected of corruption and bribery over a number of alleged commercial transactions in the context of his consultancy work.
Did you also think the EPP raid was related to Qatargate? Let @Maajtee know.
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1. Belgian police raid European People’s Party's offices in Brussels
Belgian police and German authorities raided the headquarters of the European People’s Party (EPP) in Brussels on Tuesday as part of an investigation into financial irregularities. Read more.
For a more in-depth look into Mario Voigt, the German politician at the heart of the EPP police raid, click here.
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