Posted on 05/29/2024 8:41:03 AM PDT by MeganC
The Belgian prosecutor says the employee played a 'significant role' in a suspected Russian propaganda operation which infiltrated the European Parliament.
Brussels and French police carried out a series of simultaneous raids at European Parliament offices in Brussels and Strasbourg as well as at the home of a parliamentary staffer in the Belgian neighbourhood of Schaerbeek on Wednesday morning.
Dutch EU lawmaker Marcel de Graaff confirmed on social media platform X that the staffer in question was his parliamentary assistant, Guillaume Pradoura, but distanced himself from the accusations.
"I have no involvement whatsoever in any so-called Russian disinformation operation. I have my own political beliefs and I proclaim them. That is my job as a MEP," de Graaff claimed.
Graaff was elected to the European Parliament in 2014 for the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) - now set to enter government in the Netherlands - but defected to join Forum for Democracy (FV) in 2022. He was forced out of his European political family Identity and Democracy (ID) in October 2022 over pro-Russian statements in relation to the invasion of Ukraine.
His aide Pradoura was expelled from Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National in 2019 over an anti-Semitic picture, and previously worked as an aide to embattled German MEP Maximilian Krah, who is also embroiled in an investigation into Chinese espionage.
The searches are part of a sprawling probe into a Russian influence operation suspected to have paid sitting Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda from the heart of EU institutions in Brussels.
The Belgian Prosecutor, which ordered Wednesday's searches, said there were "indications" that the parliament staffer in question played a "significant role" in the Russian propaganda operation, confirming that the raid is linked to a case involving "interference, passive corruption and membership of a criminal organisation."
Asked for an official statement by Euronews, the European Parliament's press services said: "We can't comment on ongoing investigations."
"When and if requested to, the European Parliament fully cooperates with law enforcement and judicial authorities to assist the course of justice and will continue to do so. It is this context that access to an office was provided," the statement adds.
The search is the latest development in an ongoing investigation into Dutch-listed news company Voice of Europe, sanctioned by the European Union earlier this month for peddling the Kremlin's propaganda.
The news company claimed to provide "uncensored news from Europe and the world" and as recently as this March held one-on-one interviews and debates with sitting MEPs broadcasted from the European Parliament in Brussels and in Strasbourg.
In late March, Czech authorities announced it had busted a Russian influence operation conducted through Voice of Europe, alleging financial transactions had been made to elected officials in the European Parliament and in national parliaments.
According to Czech media citing officials from intelligence services, the allegations involve politicians from Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary.
One of the MEPs interviewed by the so-called media was Anders Vistisen, who's been representing the European Parliament's far-right faction - Identity and Democracy (ID) - in debates ahead of June's European elections.
Asked by Euronews earlier this month if he had been paid for that interview, Vistisen firmly denied: "No, of course not. That interview was set up at the same premise as this interview. I was asked to give an interview and I obliged. That's my job as a politician."
The staffer's previous boss, MEP Maximilian Krah - whose Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was recently expelled from its European family after making damning Nazi comments to an Italian newspaper - has also brushed off his links with Voice of Europe, asserting that despite giving interviews to the company, he had not benefitted financially.
"There is no specific allegation that I was paid for any of these," Krah said on X. "This shows what to think of the current campaign: Nothing!"
Krah's assistant has since been arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
The latest development in the investigation comes just days before some 370 million EU voters head to the polls to elect new members of the European Parliament, in a vote much feared to be the target of the Kremlin's interference.
Responding to the raids, the European Greens' lead candidate Terry Reintke claimed "right-wing forces are playing Russian roulette with European democracy."
"We cannot allow these puppets of Putin to come anywhere close to power. Voters deserve clarity - especially with the EU elections next week," Reintke added.
“The searches are part of a sprawling probe into a Russian influence operation suspected to have paid sitting Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda from the heart of EU institutions in Brussels.”
Quelle surprise.
It’s based in Brussels, run my Mackinsey alums from Columbia U and Harvard. CIA, all the way.
But if the claim is made against Russia, you are all over it like white on rice.
I'm sure your husband would be so proud of how patriotic you are, even though it keeps getting closer & closer to become a third world war, which will have the potential to morph into the nuclear engagement between combatants, making it potential far worse that both previous world wars combined, exponentially.
But you don't look at the serious consequences attached to continuing aggravation aimed at Russia.
I doubt that if you were continually being attacked, that you would sit back & take it, but you giddily get delight in provoking a nuclear power. Proof you are nothing but a silly dizzy little girl who just thinks she is being so cutesy.
Quite sad really, that you have no concern that you might be responsible for the needless deaths of millions of innocent people. I guess why should you, you are already share responsibility of all of the deaths & serious injuries that have occurred on both sides, because you chose to support fighting the evil Putin rather than to work diplomatically for a peaceful resolution at a point when it most likely to have not only prevented the invasion that would have saved multiple lives, but would have been positive for all parties directly involved. Russia has every right to protect its national security regardless of what you think. Make no mistake, this nation has in the past and will continue to do whatever it takes to defend our nation when its national security is jeopardized unless we reelect Joseph Robinette Biden who has been the only president to invite that our national security be compromised.
It's Americans like you that are destroying this nation. I hope you are so proud you silly little brainless girl child.
Americans and our allies would find this police work against our enemy’s spies and propaganda efforts encouraging and good.
“Americans and our allies would find this police work against our enemy’s spies and propaganda efforts encouraging and good.”
I agree. And when they’re done investigating the Russians they need to get back to investigating the Chinese.
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