The developments in Brussels regarding the corruption case in the European Parliament, in which the name of the Greek MEP is also involved, are stormy. Eva Kaili which since yesterday, Friday, has been in custody on charges of being involved in a corruption case, specifically a bribe from Qatar.
Alongside, four more people were brought in and are being held by the Belgian authorities in the framework of an investigation carried out yesterday in Brussels by the Office for the Suppression of Corruption. Among them is allegedly the partner of Mrs. Kaili and also her father who tried to escape with a suitcase full of banknotes.
Earlier, an accredited partner of Eva Kaili in Brussels, stressed to APE that none of her five accredited partners in the Belgian capital has been called for a statement or questioning by the authorities.
According to information from the Belgian newspaper L’Echo, Mrs. Kaili spent the night in the detention center, as “bags of banknotes” were found in her house. The same newspaper reports that Mrs. Kaili was arrested on her own initiative, which is the only possible way to defeat parliamentary immunity.
According to the information, Mrs. Kaili seems to have been under surveillance since last summer when the authorities began to have some evidence in their hands. According to Belgian and Italian media the thread was started by Mr Pantieri and some conversations he had with his family.
According to the newspaper Le Soir, Mrs. Kaili, like the other four arrested who were taken to a hearing yesterday, will be heard within 48 hours by a competent Judge, who will decide on possible arrest warrants.
Tomorrow the announcements from the Prosecutor’s Office
According to the prosecutor, the judge will make announcements on Sunday morning before 12:00 without holding a press conference. An investigator and prosecutor will announce whether Ms. Kaili and the others will be charged or released.
However, Belgian authorities have released little information so far on the case as investigations are ongoing.
What names are involved
In addition to Ms. Kaili, four more people are involved in the corruption case. The other four arrested are Ms. Kaili’s partner, Francesco Giorgi. Belgian authorities have searched his home and office, seizing documents, computers and hard drives. At the same time, he has sealed his office as well as Mrs. Kaili’s.
The former Socialist MEP (2004-2019), Pier Antonio Pancheri, is also in custody, at whose house 600,000 euros were found in garbage bags. At the same time, his husband and daughter were arrested in Bergamo, Italy.
Also arrested was the newly appointed general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Luca Vincentini, who for 11 years was the head of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
The fifth person is Nicolo Figa Talamanca, director of the NGO, “No Peace Without Justice”.
Storm of reactions in the European Parliament
The corruption scandal that broke out has caused a storm of reactions in the European Parliament. The president of the social democrats (S&D), Iratxe Garcia Perez, calls for the removal of the Greek vice-president of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili.
As the Social Democrats explained in a post on Twitter, they will invoke Article 21 of the European Parliament’s regulation at the next Conference of Presidents in order to remove Ms. Kaili from her position. In addition, Mrs. Perez notes that while the investigations are ongoing, Eva Kaili must be replaced, in order to protect the credibility of the institution and not to lose the trust of the citizens.
“Block” in the visa for Qatar
Meanwhile, Green and Social Democrat MEPs will oppose on Monday the start of negotiations to liberalize the visa regime for Qatari citizens in the European Union under the weight of the revelations.
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