According to the source, the arrest is related to the arrests made earlier on Friday.
The Belgian police reportedly arrested the vice-speaker of the EU Parliament Eva Kailin. According to AFP, a source close to the parliament’s corruption investigation tells about the matter. According to the source, the arrest is related to the arrests made earlier on Friday in the corruption investigation.
On Friday, the police searched homes and arrested four people. Those arrested were said to be Italian citizens or originally from Italy. One of those arrested is said to be Eva Kail’s husband.
Kaili is the Greek representative of the parliament and at the same time one of the 14 vice-speakers of the parliament.
As a result of the corruption investigation, Kaili has been dismissed as party leader from the Greek socialist Pasok party Nikos Androulakis by decision. The party announced it on Twitter.
According to an AFP source, the investigation focuses on suspected bribery attempts in Qatar
Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office said Friday’s home searches were part of a broader investigation into organized crime, corruption and money laundering. Around 600,000 euros in cash as well as computers and mobile phones were seized during home searches.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the suspicions are primarily aimed at parliamentary assistants and an unnamed Persian Gulf state.
According to AFP, a source close to the case has confirmed newspaper reports that the investigation focuses on Qatar’s suspected attempts to bribe an Italian member of parliament between 2004 and 2019.
Haavisto: Mere doubt eats away at the parliament’s credibility
The arrests of EU officials by the Belgian police due to an investigation related to corruption suspicions sound shocking and the suspicions will certainly eat away at the credibility of the entire parliament, the foreign minister estimates Pekka Haavisto (green).
Haavisto, who is visiting the United States, commented on the case to the Finnish media from New York and says that she relied on newspaper information regarding the suspicions of corruption.
– It is important that suspicions are carefully reviewed, and if necessary, legal measures are then taken, Haavisto says.