Police search the headquarters of the European People’s Party in Brussels

The police of Belgium and Germany have jointly searched this Tuesday the headquarters of the European People’s Party (PPE) in Brussels, a raid that is part of the corruption investigation in progress against the leader of the CDU Christian Democratic Party in the Land of Thuringia, according to the German press.

The PPE has confirmed the registration and has promised its full cooperation with the investigations, but has avoided giving details. “The European People’s Party confirms that representatives of the Belgian and German police authorities visited its headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, April 4. The visit is related to an ongoing investigation in Thuringia, Germany,” it said in a statement.

“The party is cooperating in full transparency with the authorities involved, providing all relevant information and documentation. As this is an ongoing legal investigation, the PPE will not comment further.” concludes the brief statement. The Belgian authorities have not made any statement.

The alleged investigated, Mario Voigt, does not hold any organic position in the European People’s Party, but was hired to direct digital operations during the electoral campaign for the 2019 elections. As part of this internet campaign, the PPE contracted with an agency called Jena. German authorities suspect that Voigt collected an illegal commission from the company in exchange for awarding him the contract.