He is the man who is at the heart of “Qatargate”, the resounding corruption scandal that has shaken the European Parliament since December 2022. Former trade unionist, Italian leftist, invested in the fight for the defense of human rights rights, Pier Antonio Panzeri is accused by Belgian justice of having used his access and relations within Parliament to promote the image of Qatar and Morocco.
When the scandal broke on December 9, it was the face of the Greek Vice-President of Parliament, Eva Kaïli, who made the headlines. But it is he, Pier Antonio Panzeri, who is at the heart of this resounding scandal. According to the elements of the investigation, revealed by the Belgian and Italian press, this former MEP, now aged 67, helped Qatar and Morocco to defend their interests in Parliament, against suitcases of banknotes, and gifts in kind.
” When I learned of the arrest, I was shocked and surprised, says Brando Benifei, the leader of the Italian delegation of the Socialist and Democratic Group (SD), to which Pier Antonio Panzeri belonged when he was elected in Strasbourg. EI quickly became very angry, because I knew these people, and because I personally knew Panzeri who had been my colleague in Parliament in the previous legislature. I learned that these people had probably used the struggle for human rights as an instrument to pursue criminal interests and to promote corruption. »
At the heart of this corruption pact, there is an NGO created by Panzeri when he left Parliament in 2019. The height of cynicism, this NGO called Fight For Impunity (“fight against impunity” in French) aimed to fight for the defense of human rights. ” Panzeri’s NGO counted among its honorary members a Nobel Peace Prize, former European Commissioners, a former Prime Minister, emphasizes Brando Benifei. It was in fact, apparently, a tool to pursue criminal activities… But it had all the appearances of a real NGO! I thought it was a serious organization. I have never done anything with this NGO, I have never participated in their conferences, etc. But I thought they were doing important business with people who are highly esteemed in the world of human rights advocacy. »
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Typical journey of the trade union left
Considered in the Parliament of Strasbourg as a man of network, of influence, Panzeri did not leave a very vivid memory with his former colleagues. And for good reason: he speaks neither French nor English, and his interactions were limited to MPs able to speak Italian. In his country, Panzeri was known only in a limited circle, that of the Milanese left, and the trade union world from which he came.
” He had an important role inside the CGIL, the left-wing trade union of Milandecrypts Massimiliano Panarari political scientist at the Mercatorum University of Rome. And then he decided to start a political career within a party. It was the PDS, that is to say the Left Democratic Party. He was particularly close to Massimo D’Alema and his current inside the PDS. His career, his trajectory are typical of a certain trade union left stemming from the tradition of the Communist Party. »
For the Italian left, the “Qatargate” and the involvement of Panzeri constitute a blow all the more severe as they intervene after the electoral rout suffered last autumn and the victory of the extreme right. ” As far as the political elites are concerned, we are witnessing an effort to “reduce harm”. On the center-left, they try to keep Panzeri away as much as possible, and they say of him that he must be hit hardest by justice. But, even within the right-wing elites, we are waiting to see if the scandal will be contained or will widen, and we remain quite cautious for the moment. »
For the time being, the Belgian justice is continuing its hearings. Pier Antonio Panzeri was kept in detention. As for his wife and daughter, also implicated by the investigators, they could soon be extradited from Italy to Belgium.
► To read also: “Qatargate”: a mainly Italian network, operated by Qatar and Moroccan intelligence