BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Belgian prosecutors said on Thursday they had detained several individuals over suspected bribery in the European Parliament allegedly for the benefit of China's Huawei. Belgian investigators carried out searches of 21 premises across Belgium and in Portugal on Thursday morning.

Authorities said the supposed perpetrators resorted to payments, food and travel gifts, and invitations to watch soccer matches in exchange for favorable political decisions that would promote private commercial interests.

Several people were on Thursday arrested in a nationwide sweep in Belgium as part of a corruption probe in which Chinese tech giant Huawei was reported to be suspected of having bribed lawmakers in