Belgian prosecutors have acknowledged that Maltese Member of the European Parliament Daniel Attard was mistakenly linked to suspicious payments from China during an investigation into alleged corruption involving Chinese technology company Huawei.
The admission was made in a letter sent by Belgium’s prosecutor’s office to the legal affairs committee of the European Parliament, the body responsible for deciding whether to lift the immunity of EU lawmakers, according to a report by Politico.
Authorities said the error occurred when a financial transactions watchdog misidentified the owner of bank accounts in China and Hong Kong. The accounts were initially attributed to the Maltese MEP but were later found to belong to a Maltese businessman and lawyer who shares the same name.
Daniel Attard said it was unfortunate to be drawn into the investigation because another individual shares the same name.
MEP Attard said the mix-up shows why authorities must carefully verify information before reputations are put at risk.
“Such situations can unfortunately occur and have indeed done so, including in court proceedings in Malta where I have on several occasions been confused with another individual who bears the same name and who is also a warranted lawyer,” he said.
