EU corruption scandal: A clumsy attempt by the Qatari rulers

Qatar is rich. And the rulers apparently believe that not only can they buy the World Cup, but also fame and prestige. However, their attempt to bribe MEPs was clumsy and unprofessional.

The plot could be straight out of a mediocre movie. A beautiful young MP lets her father carry a briefcase. It is full of banknotes worth 600,000 euros. The father is caught in the act, leaving a hotel in the middle of Brussels’ European district. The trail leads to the apartment of the MP, his daughter. And there are many more bills. All packed in suitcases and sacks, bundled in 20 and 50 euro notes – which is why the investigators then report an unusually large number of suitcases and sacks in the apartment. You usually see something like that in the drug industry.

For some, this is particularly bitter. Especially for the young MEPs from the smaller factions, the Greens and the Liberals, who have been fighting for years for laws that finally criminalize corruption in member states like Hungary and Poland.

Now corruption has arrived in the middle of parliament – that’s more than bitter. It is now all the more important that parliament tightens controls – not only when members of parliament meet with lobbyists, which already happens, but also when members of parliament have contacts with representatives of authoritarian states.

Why Qatar invests so much money in MPs

Conversely, of course, the question arises as to why a Gulf state like Qatar invests so much money in bribing a relatively unknown MEP.

At first glance, that sounds absurd, because the European Parliament has very few responsibilities in the area of ​​foreign policy. At second glance, one feels reminded of what happened twelve or thirteen years ago. So it seemed completely absurd that a football World Cup would be held at Christmas time – in the middle of a desert country.

Qatar has made the unlikely come true. The ruling sheikhs paid unimaginably large bribes to FIFA officials. Back then it wasn’t about football, but about a long-term investment to improve the image of Qatar’s dictators.

Just appreciation

This also seems to be behind the attempted bribery in the European Parliament. One would simply like to hear positive speeches about Qatar – appreciation from Western politicians – and not always just criticism of the exploitation of workers in stadium construction, for example, of the oppression of minorities or the support of Islamic terrorist organizations.

Qatari rulers believe they can buy prestige and fame. In the attempt, however, they were noticed prematurely. And that’s almost forgiving in the otherwise sad corruption scandal. Because the attempt was just too clumsy and too unprofessional – just like in a mediocre film.