The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has requested the immunity of Bulgarian MEP and former National Assembly President Nikola Minchev.

"I have received a request from the Belgian authorities to waive the immunity of Daniel Atal, Salvatore De Meo, Fulvio Martusciello, Nikola Minchev, and Giusi Princi. These requests have been forwarded to the Committee on Legal Affairs," Roberta Metsola said.

The procedure for lifting immunity will now be taken over by the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee.

The investigation is related to allegations that lobbyists for a Chinese technology company attempted to bribe former and current MEPs with gifts. It is alleged that the aim was to influence the European Union's policy towards the company. It has been on the watch list since 2023 due to concerns about Chinese espionage in European institutions.

The country's prosecutor's office wants access to MEPs so it can ask questions and clarify the investigation. Some time ago, one of the company's office managers was arrested for very aggressive lobbying. I BGNES