10, December 2022
Belgium makes EU parliament arrests in Qatar corruption investigation 0
Belgian police arrested a European Parliament vice-president and four others in connection with an investigation into corruption implicating World Cup hosts Qatar, the prosecutors office said Friday.
Officers arrested Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili hours after four other suspects had been detained for questioning. All four were either Italian citizens or originally came from Italy, a source close to the case told AFP.
Kaili is the partner of one of the four, a parliamentary assistant with the European Parliament’s Socialists and Democrats group, said the source.
Following reports of Kaili’s arrest, the president of the Greek socialists (PASOK) Nikos Androulakis announced on Twitter that she had been expelled from the party.
A statement issued earlier by Belgian prosecutors mentioned a Gulf country in connection with an investigation into corruption and money laundering, but did not name it. And while it said a former MEP was among those arrested, it did not identify him.
But Belgian press reports said the country concerned was Qatar, and named the former MEP as Italy’s Pier-Antonio Panzeri, who served as a socialist in the parliament between 2004 and 2019.
600,000 euros seized
Belgium’s federal prosecutor announced the earlier arrests after a series of raids at 16 addresses raids in the capital Brussels.
“Today’s searches have enabled investigators to recover about 600,000 euros in cash,” the prosecutors said in a statement.
“Computer equipment and mobile phones were also seized. These elements will be analysed as part of the investigations.”
Investigators “suspected a Gulf country (of influencing) the economic and political decisions of the European parliament”, the statement added.
It alleged this was done “by paying large sums of money or offering large gifts to” influential figures in the European parliament.
A source close to the case confirmed press reports that the investigation was into suspected attempts by Qatar to corrupt an Italian Socialist former MEP, who Belgian outlets Le Soir and Knack named as Panzeri.
‘Recognised and respected’
Kaili, 44, is a former television presenter and currently one of the European Parliament’s 14 vice presidents. In November, shortly before the World Cup started, she met Qatar’s Labour Minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri.
In a video statement posted on Twitter by the Qatar News Agency she said: “I believe the World Cup for Arabs has been a great tool for… political transformation and reforms…”.
The European Parliament “recognised and respected” Qatar’s progress in labour reforms, she added.
She made similar comments during a speech at the European Parliament later in November, accusing some MEPs of “bullying” Qatar and accusing them of corruption.
Panzeri, 67, currently heads a Brussels-based human rights organisation called Fight Impunity.
According to the reports, the secretary general of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Italian Luca Visentini, was also among those arrested. The ITUC said it was “aware” of the media reports, but had no further comment to make at present.
Corruption accusations
The alleged bribery comes as World Cup host Qatar has made a major push to improve its image in the face of criticism over its record on worker protections and human rights.
Interviewed by AFP on Monday, Visentini welcomed progress made by Qatar on worker rights, but insisted “pressure” needed to be maintained once the football tournament finishes.
Migrant workers make up more than 2.5 million of Qatar’s 2.9 million population and labour conditions have been strongly criticised — particularly in the lead-up to the World Cup.
Doha has implemented reforms to its migrant labour system, but critics insist more work needs to be done to make sure the changes have an impact.
Qatar’s World Cup has also been dogged by accusations of corruption surrounding the FIFA members’ vote to award the tournament to the energy-rich Gulf state.
Belgium’s France Soir newspaper pointed out that Friday’s police raids came on the United Nations-designated International Anti-Corruption Day.
Source: AFP
14, December 2022
Belgium’s federal prosecutor widens EU corruption probe 0
An emergency debate took place in the European Parliament on Tuesday in the wake of explosive claims that Qatar has bribed EU lawmakers and officials. It’s being described as the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the EU.
Greek MEP Eva Kaili and three others are due to appear in court on Wednesday having been charged with accepting bribes.
Belgian police have now raided at least twenty properties in Brussels and have seized more than seven hundred and fifty thousand euro in cash. Qatar denies it has bribed EU officials. Legislators are calling for a Committee of Inquiry into the scandal and for an Ethics Commission to be established.
In addition to Eva Kaili, several lawmakers have stepped down from senior roles in the parliament raising suspicion that the scandal is bigger than first thought.
The EU’s foreign policy is very inconsistent. Many are now asking if cases of suspected corrupt interference extend beyond Qatar.
For example, often based on ambiguous claims, the EU routinely targets Iran. At the same time entirely unambiguous atrocities are committed by the likes of Saudi Arabia and Israel but zero action is taken against those countries.
Source: Presstv