Politics

Italian Press on Qatargate: It will continue – New case “Clean Hands”

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The press in Italy is talking about a “European scandal of enormous proportions”, while also referring to the role of assistants, current and former MEPs

Italy expects new developments in Brussels corruption scandal. The press in Rome makes reference to a European scandal of enormous proportions, and underlines, among others, the main role of the assistants of current and former MEPs, who know very well the functioning of the bureaucratic mechanisms. The Italian former MEP and head of the “Fight Impunity” NGO, Antonio Panzeri, has not yet been expelled from the Left party to which he belongs, Articolo Uno. It was only suspended temporarily and pending judicial developments.

His daughter and wife, who are under house arrest near Brescia in northern Italy (and are believed, based on surveillance, to have known about the former MEP’s suspicious relationships) do not want to be extradited to Belgium and have asked to see the charges in detail against them, before they apologize in six days.

The broader feeling, however, here in Rome, is that the whole affair will lead to new revelations, and that the alleged corruption network had deeper roots. It is enough to think that, according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the contacts with the Katarians of Panzeri and Francesco Giorgi (his former partner and current partner of Eva Kaili) reportedly began six years ago, in 2016.

Corruption that brings to mind scandals from the past

Italian analysts, at the same time, add that this whole case brings to mind the public prosecutor’s investigation Mani Pulite (Clean Hands), which exactly three decades ago with its revelations of party and state corruption brought “ups and downs” to the political reality of country.

The newspaper La Stampa writes today that Brussels prosecutors – according to information – are now dealing with the activity and contacts of four other MEPs. And that it is expected to be ascertained if there were suspicious contacts, not only with Qatar, but also with diplomatic representatives of Morocco.

DW – Theodoros Andreadis Syngellakis, Rome

European ParliamentEva KailinewsQatargateSkai.gr

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