Suspects in the corruption scandal allegedly interfered in the nominations to help foreign governments, according to leaked police files.
The EU's most prestigious award for human rights work is also entangled in a corruption scandal, Politico reports citing leaked police documents.
The Sakharov Prize, worth 50,000 euros, is awarded every year to a person or group who has made an outstanding contribution to the fuller realization of freedom of thought.
Past recipients include Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, and the Ukrainian people.
In 2023, Zsiná Mahszá Amíni and the Iranian "Women, Life, Freedom" movement received it.
According to the documents, three mentions of the Sakharov Prize between 2020 and 2022 were found on the computer of Francesco Giorgi, involved in the Brussels corruption scandal.
In 2020, they "wanted to disrupt" the process with one candidate, and one candidate was blocked in order to politically woo the country of Mauritania (Africa).
And according to a 2022 document of the Belgian secret service, which has since been declassified, the corrupt network tried to influence the outcome of the Sakharov Prize for the sake of Morocco.
Giorgi's lawyers deny it, saying that the document found on his computer does not prove anything.
Featured image: Francesco Giorgi and Eva Kaili / Photo: STR / EUROKINISSI / AFP
