PLEASE NOTE: Leave your comments on YEN.com.gh. Fill out this short form. Help us serve you better!
Investigators raided the home and offices of an EU parliament official as Belgium claims Russia paid far-right lawmakers — including Germany’s Maximilian Krach — to spread Kremlin propaganda.
The probes in Brussels and Strasbourg, in eastern France, were the latest step in an avalanche of investigations into allegations of meddling, which have sparked unrest ahead of EU-wide elections for the bloc’s parliament on June 6-9.
A source close to the investigation said the target was Guillaume Pradour, a former aide to Krach of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, who is being investigated for suspected ties to both Russia and China.
Belgian prosecutors said searches were carried out at an official’s home in Schaerbeek, northeast of Brussels, and at his offices in the EU parliament buildings in both Brussels and Strasbourg, with the cooperation of French authorities.
UK Labor backs business relocation as industry comes back to party in election
In a statement, it said that “the investigations are part of a case of interference, passive corruption and participation in a criminal organization.”
“It relates to indications of Russian interference, whereby members of the European Parliament were approached and paid to promote Russian propaganda through the Voice of Europe ‘news website’,” the prosecution said.
“There are indications that the European Parliament official concerned played a significant role in this,” he added.
A spokesman for Krah told AFP that the employee involved had not been on the lawmaker’s team for “two years.”
“We assume we are not affected,” the spokesperson added.
According to the source close to the Belgian investigation, the investigation is focusing more on the staff’s former employer than their current one.
Pradura, who was expelled from France’s National Assembly five years ago for an anti-Semitic photo, now works for Dutch far-right MP Marcel de Graaff.
120 business leaders back UK Labor in election
“Friendly Russian narrative”
Belgian prosecutors opened an investigation last month into allegations of Russian interference in the European Parliament after Czech intelligence uncovered an alleged network that used EU lawmakers to spread propaganda to the Kremlin.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre De Croix said at the time that Moscow’s “clear” goals were “to help elect more pro-Russian candidates to the European Parliament and to strengthen the pro-Russian narrative in that body.”
Voice of Europe, the outlet at the center of the claims, is reportedly funded by pro-Kremlin businessman Viktor Medvedchuk. It has since been banned under EU sanctions.
EU lawmakers face strict rules on independence and ethics, and can face penalties — financial and otherwise — if they break them.
Belgium says its own intelligence agencies have found that some lawmakers were paid to promote Moscow’s propaganda.
Krah, Pradoura’s former boss, was among the people named in the initial reports about the alleged propaganda ring. He has denied being paid for his appearances on the Voice of Europe.
G7 ministers report ‘progress’ but no deal on Russian assets for Ukraine: draft statement
Krah is at the center of an escalating series of scandals that have led to the AfD party being expelled from its group in the European Parliament, the far-right Identity and Democracy.
German prosecutors began investigating Krah over reports of suspicious payments from Russia and China after another of his aides was arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing.
Investigators searched Krah’s EU parliament premises earlier this month as part of the investigation into the aide, Jian Guo.
Krah remains the AfD’s leading candidate in June’s European elections, as it is too late to remove him from the electoral rolls.
German officials separately conducted raids this month targeting a second lawmaker accused of taking money to spread Russian propaganda — Petr Bystron, the AfD’s number two candidate in EU elections.
Source: AFP