Speaking to Euronews, the lawyers of the former Vice-President of the European Parliament reveal that in the case file there is no reference to her financing Eva Kaili from Qatar and Morocco. They call on the European Parliament to take a stand.

Almost a year after the arrest of Eva Kaili, the Belgian lawyers of the Greek MEP are urging the European Parliament to act by recognizing that her immunity has been breached.

The lawyers claim that the former deputy speaker of the Parliament was illegally investigated by the Belgian police and secret services, as she was protected by parliamentary immunity as an MEP.

But with a ruling still pending on the matter, lawyers are now warning they will take action against the European Parliament.

“The European Parliament has a duty to act now. He need not delay any longer. They must act now. If they don’t act then there will be consequences because we think it’s wrong. It is a personal fault of the people in charge of Parliament that they did not simply set a hearing. It’s a personal mistake. It is a violation of EU legislation,” said Christophe Marchand, Eva Kaili’s lawyer, speaking to Euronews.

Kaili was arrested last December and accused of corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization, after hundreds of thousands of euros were found in her apartment.

He was accused of accepting cash from Qatar as well as Morocco to influence parliamentary decisions.

Her lawyers now want the case against her to be dropped, due to multiple investigative errors by the Belgian authorities.

“You can’t call this case Qatargate anymore. This is over. You must name the folder Belgian-gate. The Secret Service made its report to the federal prosecutor in April of last year. What is very important is that Eva Kaili, her name was not mentioned at all in that report. So, there was no suspicion against her. There were many other suspicions against other persons who at first were not bothered in this file”, emphasizes Sven Mari, Eva Kaili’s lawyer, for his part.

Kaili’s team accuses Judge Michel Clez, who previously headed the inquiry, of trying to protect other MEPs.

They also continue to strongly defend Kaylee’s complete innocence in the whole affair.

The decision on the Greek MEP’s appeal against the Belgian authorities has also been delayed.

“We ask the European Parliament to give an immediate answer”

More specifically, the lawyers representing Eva Kaili asked the European Parliament to investigate whether her parliamentary immunity was violated in the context of the investigations into the so-called Qatargate scandal.

In an interview with Euronews, Christophe Marchand and Sven Marie said they requested a hearing before parliament’s legal affairs committee (JURI) to present what they claim is evidence of a breach of the Greek MEP’s right to parliamentary protection.

They hope that if parliament found her arrest violated the institution’s immunity rules, designed to protect lawmakers from arbitrary political prosecutions, it would support their case in Belgian courts.

“The parliamentary protection of Eva Kaili was not respected and that is why there are consequences. One consequence is that he can’t be prosecuted for it,” Marsan explained.

The corruption scandal, in which Eva Kaili and other members of parliament are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of euros from Qatari and Moroccan officials in exchange for influencing European Parliament decisions, sent shockwaves throughout Brussels and forced parliament to limit looseness. staff conduct rules. Both countries have strong claims.

Kaili was arrested for offenses including corruption and money laundering last December after she was allegedly “caught in the act”, allowing her parliamentary immunity to be lifted immediately.

She was later removed from her position as vice-president of the European Parliament and her party membership was suspended.

But her lawyers, who insist on her innocence, claim her arrest and previous investigations by the Belgian public prosecutor and the intelligence services of various EU countries amount to “an attack on the heart of democracy in the EU”.

“You had […] misconduct by the Belgian judicial system, disrespect for the judicial system, an attack on the functioning of the European Parliament,” Marchand argued. “You had Belgian policemen sneaking into parliament, monitoring parliament.”

“Parliament must know this and then make the right decisions,” he continued.

“The European Parliament has a duty to act now. If they don’t act, then we have consequences because we think it’s a mistake, it’s a personal mistake,” he added.

The lawyers said their hearing request, already submitted to the House Presidium and the JURI committee, was a personal appeal to President Metsola to “handle” the case before parliament.

“Belgium-gate”

In an interview Wednesday, Kylie’s legal team repeatedly defended their client’s innocence and claimed that the prosecutor’s investigation files, which they recently obtained access to, do not include evidence that she was “paid to do an unjustified act as a member of the parliament. “

They say Belgian prosecutors made a “mistake” in their investigations and that their “tunnel vision” approach led them to mistakenly indict Kaili for crimes she is not guilty of, despite bags of cash believed to have been found at her home in Brussels.

They also claim that a report submitted to federal prosecutors by Belgian intelligence last April, months before her arrest, made no mention of Kaili.

“Her name was not mentioned in that report. Therefore, there was no suspicion against her. There were many other suspicions against other people, who at first were not bothered in this file,” said Sven Marie.

“These names were well known. Those names were considered suspicious, but nothing was done about it,” he added, claiming that among those names was Maria Arena, a Belgian MEP who denied any involvement, but her assistant’s office was raided in connection with the case.

“You can no longer call this file Qatargate. This is over. You must name the file Belgium-gate,” said Sven Marie.

The lead investigator in the case, Michel Clez, was forced to resign from his role in June after allegations of bias.

It was revealed that Claise’s son was a partner with MEP Maria Arena’s son in a medical cannabis company.

An official statement issued by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office claimed that Klaise decided to withdraw from the case “despite the absence of any real evidence to question the credibility of any of the parties involved and the significant work that he and his investigators have accomplished in it case”.

But Marcin and Marie argue that Kylie has been the victim of an unduly heavy hand by Belgian prosecutors.

“What’s the difference between finding money around Madame Arena and finding money around Ms. Kylie? What’s the difference? Why does one go to jail for four months? Why? And another doesn’t even bother,” asked Marie, claiming cash was also found at a location linked to MEP Maria Arena.

Her relationship with Georgie is a ‘personal matter’

Kylie’s life partner, Francesco Giorgi, is also a prime suspect in the extensive investigation.

Since his arrest in December, Giorgi is believed to have confessed to hiding Qatari-donated money in his and Kylie’s home for Pier Antonio Panzeri, the Italian socialist MEP at the center of the case and to whom Giorgi was previously an aide .

Panzeri agreed to special status with the Belgian prosecutor’s office in order to share material details about the case with Belgian prosecutors.

But Kylie’s team insist the money her partner has stashed in their home in no way incriminates her.

They continue to question why Kylie was held for much longer than others, after previously claiming she was being held behind bars “as a trophy”.

Since her release from Haren Prison in April this year, Kylie’s decision to continue living with Georgie has drawn criticism. But her team insists this is a private choice that should not interfere with her right to the presumption of innocence.

“The fact that Eva Kaili still lives with Francesco Giorgi. You know, Melania Trump is also with Donald Trump,” Marie said. “It’s a private matter.”

“What I do know is that he is a very good father and a very good mother to their young child. And I think that’s the only thing we have to think about,” he continued.

“What is the relationship between them, if they sleep together, if they eat together or not, you know, actually, I couldn’t answer that question,” he added.

Despite her ordeal, Kaili is determined to “fight” to prove her innocence and continue her political career, according to her lawyers.