The email disparaged the work of Portuguese EPP lawmaker Sebastião Bugalho ahead of the EPP’s vice-chair elections. When asked, Bugalho’s office said he “will obviously not comment on forged emails.”
Pedro López de Pablo, the EPP’s press director, said: “The group has been informed that there will be an investigation.”
The Parliament’s probe was announced by EPP group chair Manfred Weber to all the group’s lawmakers at a closed-door meeting on Monday afternoon, according to four people in the room. They were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive internal matter.
Halicki sent his request for an investigation by Belgian authorities to Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Friday. “As I know, the Parliament immediately reacted, and the investigation has been launched,” he said, referring to the internal probe.
The email comes amid a fierce campaign for the EPP’s vice-chair positions, which are to be voted on on Tuesday. Twelve lawmakers, including Bugalho and Halicki, are battling it out for 10 spots.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report misstated Pedro López de Pablo’s role. This article was updated Oct. 19 to correct his title to press director.