Status: 12/15/2022 6:27 p.m
There is another suspicion against the deposed Vice President of the EU Parliament Kaili. The public prosecutor’s office therefore wants to have their immunity and that of another MP lifted. Meanwhile, Kaili’s partner is said to have confessed.
The corruption scandal surrounding the European Parliament is apparently spreading. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has another suspicion against Eva Kaili, the Vice President of the European Parliament who is already in custody and has been deposed – independently of the previously known Qatar affair. The authority in Luxembourg has therefore applied to have the immunity of the former vice-president of the parliament lifted, according to a statement by the public prosecutor.
The new suspicion is about possible fraud in connection with the salaries of employees of MEPs. The starting point is an investigation report by the EU anti-fraud authority Olaf. According to the investigators, the immunity of a second MP should also be lifted: that of the Christian Democrat Maria Spyraki, like Kaili from Greece. There were no further details about the case.
Kaili’s partner unpacks
According to media reports, Kaili’s partner, who was also imprisoned, confessed to the original corruption scandal surrounding Qatar’s attempted influence. He admitted being part of an organization used by Qatar and Morocco to meddle in European affairs, the newspapers Le Soir and La Repubblica reported, citing investigative documents.
According to the reports, the man, previously an assistant in the office of an Italian MEP, accused former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri of being the head of the alleged organization. His own role was to manage cash, the statement reportedly said. He went on to say that two MPs had received money from Panzeri. Panzeri’s lawyer replied to “Le Soir” request that he did not have this information.
Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, one of Kaili’s lawyers, told Greek TV channel Skai on Wednesday evening. The large amount of cash in Kaili’s Brussels apartment belonged neither to her nor to her partner, but to a third party. Kaili was against the foreign funds in the apartment. For this reason, her father took the bag with money and made his way to a hotel, where the unnamed recipient should have turned up.
Morocco is also suspected
“Le Soir” and “La Repubblica” also reported that the investigations are aimed at Morocco as well as the Gulf state of Qatar. In the European Arrest Warrant, which was issued for Panzeri’s wife and daughter last week, Morocco is also suspected of “having paid political interventions with members of the European Parliament on behalf of Qatar and Morocco”. The Moroccan secret service is also involved.
Metsola wants to fight corruption more vigorously
Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola announced “far-reaching” reforms because of the scandal. These included a “ban on all unofficial friendship groups, a review of compliance with our code of conduct and a thorough review of our relations with third countries,” Metsola said after a discussion with European leaders in Brussels.
The Belgian judiciary is investigating suspected corruption, money laundering and influence from abroad in the vicinity of the European Parliament. Six suspects have been arrested since Friday, two of whom have been released. Eva Kaili’s detention date has been postponed to next week.