Group leaders in the European Parliament have unanimously voted to oust corruption suspect Eva Kaili as vice president. This proposal was made by the so-called Conference of Presidents, the German news agency learned from parliamentary circles on Tuesday. The body consists of Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the leaders of the political groups.
The final decision on the dismissal now lies with the plenary of parliament, which will vote on it on Tuesday. The 44-year-old has already been expelled from her Greek party Pasok and the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament. Metsola had also relieved her of her duties as vice president this weekend.
The Greek social democrat Kaili is one of the six suspects that the Belgian authorities have arrested since Friday in the corruption scandal. Four of them were taken into custody on Sunday – including Kaili, her friend and former MEP Antonio Panzeri, according to information from the German press agency and other media. According to the public prosecutor’s office, they must appear before a council chamber on Wednesday, which must decide whether the arrest will be maintained and how to proceed.
The four suspects are suspected of involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption. It is said that the Gulf Emirate of Qatar, which is currently hosting the World Cup, has tried to influence political decisions in the European Parliament with massive financial and material donations.
A possible visa facilitation for Qatar should therefore not be available in the short term. Although the competent committee had voted in favor of it in early December, the plenary referred the file back to committee on Monday in view of the latest revelations. “We must ensure that this process is not affected by corruption. We must also ensure that any attempt to attack our democracy has consequences,” said the responsible rapporteur, Erik Marquardt (Greens). Qatar dismissed the allegations against the Doha government in the scandal as unfounded.
In the Belgian capital, the detectives continue their work. They also searched rooms in the EU Parliament in Brussels on Monday, the public prosecutor announced. Information has been seized from the computers of ten parliamentary assistants. There were also raids in Italy on Sunday.
According to the information, a total of 20 house searches have 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 information, 600,000 euros have been found with a suspect, several hundred thousand euros. in a suitcase in a hotel in Brussels and 150,000 euros in the home of an MEP whose name was not mentioned.
Meanwhile, Kaili herself continues to come under pressure in her home country. The Greek anti-money laundering authority has frozen all of the 44-year-old’s assets. The same applies to her parents, her sister and her boyfriend, who were also arrested in Belgium. Accounts, real estate, business investments and similar assets would be examined. (SDA/no)