INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Investigators on Wednesday searched the home and offices of an EU parliament staffer as part of an investigation into suspected Russian
interference and corruption, the Belgian state prosecutor's office said.According to a source close to the investigation, the target of
the raids is Guillaume Pradoura, a former assistant to embattled EU lawmaker Maximilian Krah of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)
party.Pradoura, who was expelled from France's National Rally over an anti-Semitic picture, now works for the Dutch far-right lawmaker
Marcel de Graaff.The Belgian prosecutor's office said searches were being conducted at a staffer's home in Schaerbeek, northeast
enforcement body said the "searches are part of an investigation into interference, passive corruption and membership in a criminal
organization."The searches "concern evidence of Russian interference, indicating that members of the European Parliament were approached and
paid to promote Russian propaganda via the news site Voice of Europe," the prosecutor's office added."Evidence suggests that the European
Parliament staffer in question played an important role in this case," it said.Belgian prosecutors last month opened a probe into the
meddling allegations after Czech intelligence services exposed a network suspected of using EU lawmakers to spread Kremlin propaganda.The
claims centered on Voice of Europe, which has since been banned under EU sanctions.EU lawmakers face strict rules regarding independence and
ethics, and they can face penalties if they violate them.Belgium says its own intelligence services have determined that some lawmakers were
paid to promote Russian propaganda.Pradoura's former boss Krah is being investigated for suspicious links to both Russia and China, and
another of Krah's parliament aides was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.The snowballing scandals surrounding Krah led his AfD
party to be expelled last week from its group in the EU parliament, the far-right Identity and Democracy.But he remains the AfD's top
candidate in the June 6-9 European election since it is too late to remove him from the position.
