Now he wants to unpack to save his own skin. Antonio Panzeri (67), former MEP, is seen as the mastermind behind the corruption scandal involving the EU parliament. His NGO is said to have tried to manipulate decisions in the EU parliament on behalf of Qatar and Morocco. This would include the World Cup in Qatar.
Panzeri has been detained in Belgium since December 9 – together with former Vice President of the EU Parliament Eva Kaili (44). According to Belgian judicial circles, house searches found 150,000 euros in their apartment and another 750,000 euros on Kaili’s father.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reports that Panzeri now wants to betray his accomplices so that he can get off with a lighter sentence. According to the report, the 67-year-old has named several EU parliamentarians who are also allegedly involved in the corruption scandal.
Panzeri was a member of the social-democratic Partito Democratico for many years. In 2017 he left the party in favor of Articolo Uno, the party of former Italian communist leader Massimo D’Alema (73). In the EU parliament, however, he remained part of the transnational social-democratic group, to whose networks the money is said to have mainly flowed.
“Like Ocean’s Eleven”
According to “La Repubblica”, Panzeri’s accomplices include Italian Andrea Cozzolino (60). He is called a key figure. The Partito Democratico suspended Cozzolino on Friday.
In addition, Panzeri apparently pilloried two social-democratic MPs from Belgium: Marc Tarabella (59) and Maria Arena (56). According to “La Repubblica”, he said of Arena: “I know she once traveled to Qatar and received a gift.”
The investigations into alleged corruption, money laundering and influence from the Gulf Emirate of Qatar in the EU parliament have been going on for months. Panzeri’s NGO Fight Impunity, which he founded in 2019, is at the heart of Belgian detectives.
On Tuesday, Italian trade union official Luca Visentini (53) admitted to receiving a donation of “less than 50,000 euros” from “Fight Impunity”, reports “La Repubblica”. Panzeri is said to have said as the money was handed over, “We’re like the ones in Ocean’s Eleven.” Adapted from the hit 2001 crime comedy.
Visentini justifies himself: there would be no conditions attached to the monetary donation. The sole purpose: to cover the costs of his campaign at the International Congress of Trade Unions in Australia.
It is still unclear whether other names associated with Panzeri’s NGO are on the investigator list. Yet there are still familiar faces: the board of the NGO includes former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini (49) and former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (59) of France. “You have to be perverted to do something like that with an NGO,” said Cazerneuve after the allegations were made known and handed in his resignation from the organization. (treasure)