LONDON (AA) - Belgian authorities made several arrests early Thursday in a corruption investigation linked to the European Parliament, according to media reports.

Authorities suspect that lobbyists from the Chinese multinational Huawei paid bribes to European politicians to back their cause in the EU, according to the Dutch investigative portal Follow the Money.

Around 15 former and current members of European Parliament (MEPs) are "on the radar” of investigators, according to the outlet.

Police reportedly carried out raids at 21 addresses in Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia and Portugal, though not at the European Parliament.

Sources close to the investigation told Follow the Money that Belgium’s federal police raided Huawei’s EU office and the homes of lobbyists for the Chinese tech company "on suspicions of bribery, forgery, money laundering and criminal organization."

Belgium's federal prosecutor’s office confirmed that "several people were questioned" about their participation in the suspected bribery ring.

Police officers were looking for evidence that representatives of the tech company broke the law while lobbying European lawmakers, according to reports.

In recent years, several European nations have restricted Huawei from their 5G networks due to concerns that the technology could be used by Beijing for espionage.

This is not the first time that corruption allegations have rocked the European Parliament. In 2022, authorities found bags of cash in the homes of several former MEPs suspected of accepting bribes from Qatar and Morocco.