In Brussels, the chambers of the European Parliament are being searched. The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office informed about the house searches three days after the corruption scandal in the EU parliament became known, involving, among others, the vice-president of the Greek parliament Eva Kaili.
After the corruption scandal became known in the EU parliament, President Roberta Metsola announced an internal investigation. The case amounts to an “attack on European democracy,” Metsola said in Strasbourg on Monday. She feels “anger, annoyance and sadness” in the face of the process. But there will be no impunity.
“Nothing is swept under the rug,” Metsola said. There will be an internal inquiry “which will examine all processes related to Parliament”. In the course of the investigation, efforts should be made to reform parliamentary work, the president said.
Bribed with money and gifts
The Greek deputy speaker of the parliament, Eva Kaili, and three other suspects were taken into custody by the Belgian authorities on Sunday. They are charged with “membership in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption”.
Qatar is said to have tried to influence decisions by the European Parliament with considerable sums of money and gifts. The FIFA World Cup is currently taking place in Qatar. In this context, there are massive allegations of human rights violations in the Gulf state.
According to the prosecutor’s office, 20 house searches have already been carried out since the start of the investigation – 19 in offices and living quarters and one in the European Parliament itself. According to this, 600,000 euros were found in the home of a suspect, several hundred thousand euros in a suitcase in a hotel in Brussels and 150,000 euros in the apartment of an MEP. The name was not mentioned.
Visa facilitation for Qatari citizens could topple
Metsola further announced that negotiations with member states on visa facilitation for Qatari citizens have now been suspended. “In view of the investigations, the report on visa facilitation should be referred back to the responsible committee in the EU parliament,” she said. Metsola actually wanted to announce the formal start of negotiations on Monday.
The responsible committee in Parliament and the member states had already declared in principle that citizens from Qatar and Kuwait can stay in the EU for up to 90 days without a visa. Now the formal announcement in the plenary hall for the start of negotiations was missing, which has now been suspended. (AFP/SDA)