Belgian authorities have charged four people linked to the European Parliament over allegations World Cup host Qatar lavished them with cash and gifts to influence decision-making.
Investigators searched 19 homes and the offices of the European Parliament in raids from Friday to Monday. A source close to the investigation said €1.5 million was seized in the raids.
This included €600,000 in cash at the home of a suspect, several hundred thousand euros in a suitcase in a Brussels hotel room and €150,000 in an apartment belonging to a European Parliament member.
Investigators also seized laptops and mobile phones and ordered the IT resources of 10 parliamentary staff were frozen to prevent data disappearing.
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