The European Court appeals to Eva Kaili to lift her immunity according to EURACTIV.

The lawyer of Eva Kaili, Spyros Pappas filed an appeal at the European Court of Justice against the decision of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to request the lifting of Eva Kaili’s immunity, arguing that it was illegal, as the legal conditions are not met.

The content of the appeal has not been made public. However, EURACTIV, which publishes the news, notes that the appeal suggests that the basic condition for lifting the immunity of an MEP, i.e. to be arrested on his own accord for the commission of an offense – does not apply in this particular case.

Another condition for lifting Ms Kaili’s immunity is when the suspect is deemed likely to prevent authorities from conducting a full investigation. Its side insists that this condition was not met either, considering that OLAF, the EU’s anti-fraud unit, had already investigated the case, itself he couldn’t stop her.

Speaking to EURACTIV, Spyros Pappas confirmed that he had lodged an appeal, but did not want to comment on its content until the hearing.
The site asked Mr. Pappas if this case can be connected to Qatargate and how Eva Kaili was arrested. Pappas replied that “there is definitely an issue”, considering that he was not caught red-handed in Qatargate either.

“The police raided her flat after first arresting her father a few miles away – outside a hotel, with the infamous suitcase that had apparently been taken from her flat,” he said.

But the lawyer is seeking to take the case a step further, arguing that even the raid on Ms Kaili’s office at the European Parliament was illegal.

“The sealing of the offices of Kaili and her assistants constitutes violation of the premises of the European Parliament […] This could have been allowed only after permission from the Court of Justice of the EU, but it was not done,” commented Mr. Pappas.