The European Parliament has opened an internal investigation into a forged email that appeared to come from a senior lawmaker in the centre-right European People's Party, Politico Europe reports.
The message, made to look as if it had been written by MEP Andrzej Halicki, disparaged the work of Portuguese MEP Sebastião Bugalho ahead of Tuesday's vote for the group's vice-chairs, in which 12 candidates, including both men, are competing for 10 places. Halicki said he did not write it and asked Parliament President Roberta Metsola to have Belgian authorities investigate.
A Parliament spokesperson said its services had confirmed the email was not authentic. EPP leader Manfred Weber told the group's MEPs about the probe at a closed meeting on Monday, according to people present. Bugalho's office said he would not comment on forged emails.
Source: Politico Europe
