A European Commission corruption probe led to police raids on Tuesday in Italy and three other European Union countries.
EC offices, banks and homes were searched in Italy, Belgium, France and Luxembourg in an operation involving more than 150 police officers, Belgian news agency Belga reported.
Judicial sources in Belgium said the raids were the result of a three-year probe by Judge Berta Bernardo-Mendez and involved suspected kickbacks paid by companies to European Commission officials.
EC spokesman Johannes Laintenberger said at a news briefing that the commission's anti-fraud agency OLAF was cooperating with police and that the "presumption of innocence" applied to the officials involved.
He gave no other details about the case beyond saying that the officials would remain in their jobs while the investigation proceeded.
Belga reported that the alleged bribes were linked to contracts for the installation of security systems at EU offices in Belgium and elsewhere.
