The four suspects arrested by the police are in custody. They are accused of corruption, money laundering and participating in the activities of a criminal organization.
The EU Parliament meets this week for the last plenary session of the year in an extraordinary atmosphere.
The parliament is being shaken by a corruption scandal in which Qatar, the organizer of the soccer World Cup, is suspected of trying to buy the political influence of European decision-makers.
Read more: Extensive suspicion of corruption in the EU Parliament, the Belgian police have searched 16 homes – according to Belgian newspapers, the suspicions are directed at Qatar
In this article, we will tell you what is currently known about the case.
Who are the suspects?
The Belgian police arrested four people over the weekend, three of whom are directly connected to the European Parliament.
According to media sources, the Greek deputy speaker of the parliament is among those arrested Eva Kaili and his spouse Francesco Giorgiwho works as an assistant to the Italian representative, says Belgian newspaper Le Soir (you will switch to another service).
Eva Kaili has been dismissed from her party and the S&D group of the EU Parliament, and has been moved aside from the position of deputy speaker. The Greek authorities said on Monday that they had frozen Kaili’s funds due to criminal suspicions.
Also detained is an Italian ex-euro representative Pier Antonio Panzeri and a parliamentary lobbyist, Le Soir reported. Italian news agency Ansan (you will switch to another service) according to the fourth arrestee is the general secretary of the organization No Peace Without Justice Niccolò Figà-Talamanca.
The wife and child of ex-Euro representative Panzer were also arrested in Italy, the Italian newspaper reports Corriere della Sera (you switch to another service) and Politico (you’re moving to another service).
What are the detainees suspected of?
The four suspects arrested by the Belgian police are now in custody. They are accused of corruption, money laundering and participating in the activities of a criminal organization.
The defendants are suspected of accepting gifts and large sums of money from the Persian Gulf state, which is believed to be a football World Cup organizer Qatar (you will switch to another service). The Qatari government has denied the influence efforts.
The case started on Friday, when Belgian police searched 16 homes in several Belgian cities. The police found a total of 600,000 euros in cash in the suspects’ homes.
There were initially six people arrested, but two of them were released over the weekend.
The Belgian police have said that they have suspected for months that the Persian Gulf state is trying to influence the decisions of the European Parliament.
Why does Qatar want to influence the EU?
Over the weekend, the media highlighted how Eva Kaili is defended in his speeches (you move to another service) Qatar, which has been accused of World Cup-related corruption and serious human rights violations.
Despite harsh criticism, Qatar has remained an important trade partner for Europe. The country produces a significant amount of gas, which is in demand in Europe, which is suffering from an energy crisis.
The EU is too planned reductions (you switch to another service) to visa requirements for Qataris.
How about an exceptional case?
This is not the first time that members of the European Parliament have been the target of corruption accusations.
British newspaper Sunday Times (switch to another service) revealed in 2011 a case where lobbyists tried to influence draft legislation by offering bribes to several MEPs. Three members of the European Parliament were charged with the case prison sentence (you transfer to another service).
MEP Heidi Hautala (green) told over the weekend that “inappropriate foreign influence” on some Euro representatives has been known for a long time in the parliament.
Inappropriate efforts to influence have sparked a debate in the EU about how the connections of politicians could be monitored better than at present.
Last year, EU representatives voted on the establishment of a nine-member ethical body (you will move to another service) to the Parliament and the Commission. The board’s task should be to investigate conflicts of interest between politicians and EU employees. However, the Commission has not yet made a proposal to establish a board.
Sources: AFP, Reuters
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