Nathalie Loiseau criticizes far-right MEPs who 'could have been corrupt'

The scandal broke on Wednesday, March 27, when Czech intelligence services revealed the presence of a vast network of Russian influence operating in the shadows within the European parliamentary institution. According to the first elements of the investigation, the network was funded by Moscow and aimed to spread pro-Russian propaganda in Ukraine.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo claimed on Thursday that “Russia contacted members of the European Parliament, but also paid them” to spread pro-Kremlin messages, without revealing any names. He added that the propaganda was carried out through the Voice of Europe website and its influence extended “to the European Parliament.”

It is a case reminiscent of the “Qatargate” case in December 2022, when Eva Kaili, the then Greek Vice-President of the European Parliament, as well as several members of the European Parliament were arrested and then imprisoned. On suspicion of corruption with Qatar.

“It's very dangerous”

The risks of this poll increase as European voters prepare to vote for their representatives in the European Union in less than ten weeks.

For Nathalie Loiseau, it is clearly a “shock but not a surprise”, and the fact that “Russia is trying to influence MEPs” is neither new nor unknown. She said: “The shock is knowing that some representatives would have surrendered to Russia, not out of conviction, but because they are corrupt.”

While she was at the top of the list of the Ennahda Republic Party for the 2019 European elections, the current Member of the European Parliament for the Ennahdha Party He had to admit that in 1984 he was a candidate on the far-right list at Sciences-Po Paris. Now Chairman of the Subcommittee “Security and defence” MEP Nathalie Loiseau is angry at the “German and French” far-right and claims she has been warning people “for a long time”. She added: “For decades, Russia has invested in trying to manipulate our opinions, and this involves disinformation on social media, and there are also attempts to get close to politicians to influence them, and corrupt them to make them propaganda for Russia.” franceinfo.