Daniel Attard says secret recording of Huawei football box conversation is ‘good news’

Labour MEP Daniel Attard has described as “good news” reports that Belgian police secretly recorded conversations he had with a Huawei lobbyist during a football match at Anderlecht’s stadium.

Speaking on Andrew Azzopardi’s RTK103 radio show on Saturday, Attard said the bugging of the VIP box gives him “comfort” because “there is proof that confirms what I have been saying.”

Attard is one of several MEPs caught up in a Belgian bribery investigation involving a top lobbyist for the Chinese tech giant Huawei. The case centres around suspicions that MEPs were offered gifts, including Huawei smartphones and VIP access to football matches, in return for taking favourable positions in the European Parliament.

The Maltese MEP came under scrutiny after he attended an Anderlecht football match in Huawei’s corporate box. He insists he was unaware that the invitation came from Huawei, saying he had accepted it from an assistant.

Last month, Belgian police formally requested the lifting of Attard’s parliamentary immunity along with that of at least four other MEPs. Attard responded by asking European Parliament president Roberta Metsola to waive his immunity, saying he has “nothing to hide” and wants to clear his name.

On Friday, Politico revealed that Belgian investigators had secretly bugged the Huawei box at the stadium and recorded conversations between lobbyists and MEPs. The recordings are believed to be a key piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation.

Attard emphasised that at the time of the meeting, he was unaware of any criminal investigation into Huawei, which is officially registered on the EU’s transparency register for lobbying activities. He added that between September and February, Huawei representatives met with around 22 MEPs as part of their lobbying efforts.

Belgian authorities placed Huawei under observation as early as 2023 over concerns about espionage targeting EU institutions. But the investigation intensified recently, with suspicions that up to 15 current or former MEPs may have received bribes.

Attard remains under investigation but says he is confident the recordings will support his version of events. “Everything I did, I did in good faith,” he said.