A four-month investigation by a Belgian financial judge led to the arrest of several people on Friday, December 9, 2022.
The Vice-President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, as well as several other people including a former MEP are involved in this corruption case within the EU. People around them are also involved in the investigation. They have been charged with corruption and money laundering for secretly receiving more than 600,000 euros from Qatar. The money was allegedly paid to divert attention from the multiple charges of human rights violations against Qatar.
The opening of the internal investigation
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, announced the opening of an « internal investigation ». Those concerned are Eva Kaili, Francesco Giorgi, Pier Antonio Panzeri and Niccolo Figa-Talamanca.
Eva Kaili’s lawyer said she had not accepted any bribes from Qatar. But according to a judicial source, bags containing bank notes for 150,000 euros were discovered in her apartment in Brussels.
600,000 euros were also found at the home of Pier-Antonio Panzeri, a former Italian Socialist MEP who now heads an NGO in Brussels.
Former Vice-President’s assets frozen in Greece
Many Greeks expressed their shame by seeing this former TV presenter and MEP involved in this scandal. In Athens, the Anti-Money Laundering Authority has frozen all of her assets and also those of members of Eva Kaili’s close family, like her parents. This measure has already been notified to Greek banking institutions and the relevant public services.
Morocco involved
According to several international media sources, this corruption case in the European Parliament does not concern only Qatar. The first link between Qatar and Morocco is Antonio Panzeri, a former Italian MEP who co-founded the NGO « Fight Impunity ». He had bank accounts in Belgium, Qatar and also Morocco.
According to investigators, through the NGO Fight Impunity that he co-founded, he received money from Morocco in order to defend the interests of the Maghreb kingdom within the European institutions.
However, the EU is seeking to relaunch its partnership with Morocco within a politically sensitive framework. Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell visited Morocco on 5 and 6 January 2023, to show Europe’s willingness to deepen cooperation with the Cherifian kingdom despite controversies over the corruption case and the sensitive issue of Western Sahara.
Yuri