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Corruption has been a persistent issue across Europe, impacting political, business, and social systems. From high-profile scandals involving powerful politicians to complex money laundering schemes, these cases have shaken public trust and revealed systemic vulnerabilities. Europe's biggest corruption scandals have often exposed the intricate relationships between governments, businesses, and financial institutions, highlighting the ease with which public funds can be misused.
Click on to explore some of the most significant and far-reaching corruption cases across the continent.
In March 2025, Belgian police raided Huawei's Brussels offices and several other locations, arresting suspects involved in bribing European Parliament officials to sway EU regulations. The operation heightened fears of Chinese infiltration and espionage in Europe.
José Sócrates, former Prime Minister of Portugal, is accused of corruption, money laundering, and tax fraud in connection with the Operation Marquês investigation, which began in 2014. The trial, involving bribery and illegal business dealings, is scheduled for July 3, 2025.
German company Siemens paid US$1.6 billion in fines after admitting to running a global bribery network, paying officials in Europe and beyond to secure lucrative government and infrastructure contracts.
A vast corruption scheme tied to Spain's then-ruling People's Party (PP) involved illegal party financing, kickbacks, and tax evasion. Top politicians and businessmen faced convictions for money laundering and bribery.
Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car bombing in 2017 after exposing corruption and money laundering linked to Maltese politicians. Three men, Vincent Muscat, George Degiorgio, and Alfred Degiorgio, were arrested, and businessman Yorgen Fenech was charged as the mastermind.
In the 2022 Qatargate scandal, European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili was arrested along with other officials for allegedly accepting bribes from Qatari officials in exchange for influencing EU policies. The scandal raised serious concerns about corruption within European institutions.
Swiss prosecutors uncovered widespread bribery and money laundering within FIFA, revealing that European football officials accepted millions in bribes to secure World Cup hosting rights. Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter was implicated in the scandal.
Whistleblower Antoine Deltour revealed secret tax deals between multinational corporations and Luxembourg authorities, allowing companies to avoid billions in taxes while European citizens faced austerity measures.
After the Maidan Revolution in Ukraine, former President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia, leaving behind evidence of US$70 billion embezzled through fraudulent contracts and offshore companies, with European banks involved.
A US$2.9 billion money laundering operation paid European politicians and journalists to promote Azerbaijan's image and silence criticism of human rights abuses.
In 1999, the entire European Commission, led by Jacques Santer, resigned after allegations of fraud, mismanagement, and nepotism in handling EU funds were revealed.
Alstom, a French energy and transport giant, paid US$772 million in fines for bribing officials in multiple European and international markets to win contracts for infrastructure projects.
Mani pulite (clean hands) was a nationwide corruption investigation in Italy during the early 1990s, exposing vast political bribery. At one point, over half of Italy's Parliament members were under indictment, leading to the collapse of the First Italian Republic.
The Russian Laundromat moved US$20–80 billion out of Russia from 2010 to 2014, involving wealthy Russians and global banks in Moldova, Latvia, and beyond. Major banks like Deutsche Bank and Barclays facilitated the operation.
Austrian officials accepted bribes from Airbus to secure a US$2.2 billion deal for Eurofighter jets. Investigations revealed illegal payments to middlemen and political allies.
The 2010 cash for influence scandal exposed members of parliament and lords offering to work for a fake lobbying firm for approximately US$4,000-6,600. Labour MPs Patricia Hewitt, Geoff Hoon, Margaret Moran, Stephen Byers, and Richard Caborn faced suspensions and bans.
Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš was implicated in illegally diverting approximately US$2.2 million in EU subsidies to his Agrofert business empire, violating European Union funding rules and sparking mass protests.
The 2006 Galvin Report, named after Robert Galvin, the EU's chief auditor at the time, exposed MEPs' misuse of parliamentary funds, including fraudulent expenses, illegal hiring practices, and fake travel reimbursements, sparking outrage and highlighting oversight failures.
Serbian officials and business executives embezzled millions from the state-owned Kolubara mining company by creating fraudulent contracts, inflating prices, and diverting funds. Despite efforts to prosecute, many of the accused managed to avoid significant consequences, and the full scale of the corruption is still being unraveled.
In 2020, it was revealed that King Juan Carlos I of Spain had received US$100 million from Saudi Arabia in exchange for facilitating a high-speed rail contract. This scandal, which contributed to his abdication in 2014, ultimately led to his exile in Abu Dhabi.
Leaked data from Troika Dialog, once Russia's largest private investment bank and later acquired by Sberbank, revealed it created 75 shell companies to launder US$26 billion (2006-2013) through banks in Lithuania, Austria, and Germany.
A massive leak of offshore financial records exposed how European elites, politicians, and businessmen used tax havens to hide wealth and evade taxes.
Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors paid millions in bribes to secure an arms deal with India. The scandal implicated high-ranking politicians and military officials in both Sweden and India.
In 2011, a Sunday Times sting exposed MEPs Adrian Severin, Ernst Strasser, Pablo Zalba Bidegain, and Zoran Thaler accepting bribes to influence EU legislation. Severin and Strasser faced criminal charges, with Strasser sentenced to prison.
In the late 1990s, French oil giant Elf Aquitaine was found guilty of operating a slush fund, bribing politicians and officials across Europe and Africa to secure favorable oil contracts. Investigations continued after its 2000 acquisition by Totalfina.
The gorilla scandal was a Slovak political corruption case involving leaked wiretap files from 2005 to 2006, suggesting kickbacks for contracts. Despite protests and political impact, the file's accuracy remains unconfirmed.
The Clearstream affair was a French political scandal before the 2007 presidential election. It involved allegations that the Luxembourg-based Clearstream Banking helped politicians and companies evade taxes and launder money linked to the Taiwan frigate scandal.
Another Airbus case emerged when the company paid US$4 billion in fines after admitting to bribing officials across more than 20 countries to secure aviation and defense contracts, highlighting widespread corruption and unethical business practices.
Greek banker George Koskotas embezzled millions from the state-owned Bank of Crete, leading to the resignation of Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou (pictured) and exposing deep-rooted political corruption.
Sources: (Euronews) (Transparency International) (Al Jazeera) (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) (The Guardian)
See also: The world's least corrupt nations
The biggest corruption scandals in Europe
Secrets, scandals, and stolen billions
LIFESTYLE Crime
Corruption has been a persistent issue across Europe, impacting political, business, and social systems. From high-profile scandals involving powerful politicians to complex money laundering schemes, these cases have shaken public trust and revealed systemic vulnerabilities.
Europe's biggest corruption scandals have often exposed the intricate relationships between governments, businesses, and financial institutions, highlighting the ease with which public funds can be misused.
Click on to explore some of the most significant and far-reaching corruption cases across the continent.