New development in Europe’s ‘Qatar bribery’ scandal: Eva Kaili’s assets frozen
Europe is rocked by a corruption operation involving many prominent political figures…
It has been reported that arrest warrants have been issued for 4 people, including Greek MP Eva Kaili, a former vice-president of the European Parliament, who was ousted as part of the bribery investigation, described as the biggest corruption scandal in Parliament. European.
Finally, Greece froze all the assets of Eva Kaili, who was arrested in Brussels accused of receiving bribes from Qatar. The decision against Kaili was claimed to cover “bank accounts, safes, companies and all other financial assets.” It was also announced that the property of Kaili’s family members was confiscated.
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced that the interrogation of Kaili and other detainees continues today. Prosecutors said they had suspected for months that the Gulf country under investigation was trying to gain influence in Brussels in exchange for money and gifts.
While searches of 16 houses were carried out during the operations, Luca Visentini, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, and Antonio Panzeri, one of Italy’s leading politicians, are among the names arrested. In the raids, 600,000 euros in cash were seized.
Former TV host Kaili, 44, who was reported to have bags of cash in his home, was sacked from the Greek PASOK party and from his position as European Parliament vice-president responsible for relations with the Middle East, following the scandal.
‘THE RELIABILITY OF EUROPE IS IN DANGER’
The statements of the European authorities about the scandal followed one another. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: “The accusations against the Vice President of the European Parliament are very serious. “It’s a matter of people’s trust in our institutions,” she said.
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said: “The news is definitely very, very worrying. We are faced with some events and facts. As one of the former presidents of the AP, it certainly worries me a lot. No reference was made to anyone from the EU Foreign Affairs Service or the delegations, it did not affect us.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: “This incredible event must come to light. The issue is the credibility of Europe,” she said.
EXPLANATION FROM QATAR
Meanwhile, Qatar has denied allegations that it bribed strategically placed people to influence some of the European Parliament’s economic and political decisions.
The European Union Mission in Qatar made a written statement on its Twitter account and pointed out that the diplomatic work was carried out within the framework of respect for international law.