Five people, including a vice-president of the European Parliament, were arrested this Friday in Brussels as part of an investigation opened this summer by a Belgian financial judge on suspicion of corruption by Qatar within the institution.
Greek Socialist MEP Eva Kaili, one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament, was arrested this Friday evening in Brussels as part of an investigation into suspicions of corruption involving Qatar. Four other arrests had already taken place in the Belgian capital in the morning in the same case. The MEP, who is the companion of one of these four suspects, was “ arrested to be interviewed by the police, a source familiar with the matter told Agence France-Presse.
The investigation led by a Brussels investigating judge focuses in particular on the actions of Qatar, suspected of ” influencing the economic and political decisions of the European Parliament, by paying substantial sums of money or by offering important gifts “, underlined the federal prosecutor’s office. As for the beneficiaries, they are personalities having ” a significant political and/or strategic position in Parliament. The investigation is aimed, among other things, at facts of “ corruption ” and of ” money laundering “In an organized gang, further specifies a press release from the prosecution.
600,000 euros seized
During the operation carried out on Friday, approximately 600,000 euros in cash, as well as computer equipment and mobile phones were seized by the police. ” This operation targeted in particular parliamentary assistants working in the European Parliament “, continued the federal prosecutor’s office. The gifts or benefits offered could be linked to Qatar’s desire to improve its maligned reputation for human rights and the treatment of workers.
According to information from the French daily The evening and the Flemish newspaper knock who investigated jointly, the General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, the Italian Luca Visentini, is among those arrested. This is also the case of the former Italian Socialist MEP Pier-Antonio Panzeri, who chaired the sub-committee on Human Rights in the European Parliament, a parliamentary assistant and an NGO director. A dozen additional people must also be heard by the investigators, reports our correspondent in Brussels, Pierre Benazet. Among them, many parliamentary assistants.
In Parliament, deputies believe that these are facts “andextremely serious “. They would like to recall that a resolution was passed at the end of November for Fifa to help compensate the families of deceased workers during preparations for the World Cup.
(And with AFP)