Eva Kaili was not convinced and remains in prison

By Athena Papakosta

The pre-trial detention of Eva Kaili, who has long since been removed from the position of vice-president of the European Parliament, has been extended for at least a month as the investigation into the Qatargate scandal is in full swing.

“In its ruling this morning, the Pre-Trial Council reconfirmed Eva Kaili’s detention. If he appeals against this decision within 24 hours, he will appear before the competent department of the Brussels Court of Appeal within 15 days,” the statement from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Belgium said.

Hours before the decision of the Brussels Pre-Trial Council became known, Ms. Kaili’s lawyers, Mr. Andre Rizopoulos and Mr. Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, denounced medieval conditions of detention and violation of her rights.

Particularly, Mr. Dimitrakopoulos with his statements leaving the room where the hearing of the Greek MEP took place, he emphasized that “Eva Kaili from Wednesday January 11 to Friday January 13 was in solitary confinement by the decision of the investigator, Michel Clez. For 16 hours he was in a police cell and not in a cold prison. They refused to give her a second blanket, they took her coat. This is torture. The light was constantly on and he couldn’t sleep. This is torture. She was sick with a lot of blood and was not allowed to wash. This is torture.”

For his part, Mr. Andre Rizopoulos, the Belgian advocate of Ms. Kaili, spoke bluntly as she is the only, as he said, active MEP who remains in prison while others are free and can prepare the their defense.

As it became known inside the courtroom, Mrs. Kaili had appeared visibly depressed, emaciated and sad. When the process began the handcuffs came off and she spoke in Greek as an interpreter was present. Her deposition lasted ten minutes and she insisted on her innocence stressing that she has nothing to do with the activities of her partner, Francesco Giorgi. According to reports, she broke down and burst into tears when she mentioned her almost two-year-old child. Mrs. Kaili asked instead of seeing it twice a month to have it with her in the cell, something which, however, is not foreseen.

For their part, the prosecutors recommended that she remain in custody as she is suspected of fleeing from Belgium, suspected of collaborating with third parties who remain outside prison and suspected of tampering with evidence in the case file.

Brussels is currently counting down to next Tuesday. It is the key day when the person so far seen as central to the Qatargate scandal, former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, is expected to start unraveling the tangle of the affair with secret meetings. We remind you that he has signed a Memorandum of Repentance and Cooperation with the Belgian prosecutors which is equivalent – in free translation – to an exchange agreement as he will reveal new facts and faces and the Belgian judicial authorities will go easy on him.

The lawyer of Pier Antonio Pancheri, Laurent Kenes, speaking yesterday to the Italian agency Ansa, emphasized that his client “never corrupted on his behalf but in favor of other persons who, from Qatar and from Morocco, asked him to do it and they organized everything” and added that he “decided to speak and predetermined his sentence”.

Now, it is known that the Belgian MEP, Marc Tarabella, who is now a member of the Socialist group in the European Parliament and the Belgian Socialist Party, has also been targeted. Pier Antonio Pancheri accuses him of bribery with up to 140,000 euros to support Qatar’s positions and Tarabella himself reiterates that he remains at the disposal of the Authorities.

Qatargate is a scandal that still hides “treasures” of revelations with the Belgian authorities, while the investigation is ongoing, keeping the “gates” of information closed. However, the fact remains certain that since the accused former Italian MEP has agreed to speak, some in Brussels will not sleep peacefully and rightfully so as it will not be unlikely that new names will fall on the table and new faces will be brought before the Justice.

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