Politician Eva Kaili, who allegedly accepted bribes, participated in the European Parliament
Greek politician Eva Kaili, who has been on the agenda of the international public in recent months, quietly returned to the European Parliament in Strasbourg after months…
Eva Kaili, who was arrested for allegedly accepting bribes from Qatar and was released after spending a long time behind bars, attended the sessions of the European Parliament yesterday. In the photos shared, Kaili is seen listening to the speech given by Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Chikhanuskaya. In the images taken during the speech in which the Belarusian politician asked for the support of Europeans, Kaili is seen very happy.
Greek media shared photos of Kaili.
Kaili’s request to attend European Parliament sessions again was approved in early June.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The arrest of five people, including Kaili, accused of influencing parliamentary decisions by exerting pressure in favor of Qatar, host of the World Cup, during operations carried out in December 2022, caused a commotion in Brussels. Kaili, a 44-year-old Greek socialist MP, was serving as vice president of the European Parliament responsible for relations with the Middle East.
Photos had emerged of Kaili’s meeting with Qatari officials.
Although 16 residences were searched within the framework of the operation, it was reported that among those detained was Luca Visentini, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, a friend of Kaili. It was found that Visentini and the other detainees were Italian.
Belgian police had previously announced that 600,000 euros in cash had been found during searches in Brussels. Authorities had reported that the incident was related to a Gulf country trying to influence political and economic decisions in Europe.
It was noted that the phones and computers seized during the operations will also be examined.
The Greek party PASOK suspended Eva Kaili’s membership due to the incident. Kaili, who has been a member of the European Parliament for 8 years, was previously a well-known Greek television presenter. Kaili met Qatar’s Labor Minister Ali bin Semih al Mahri last month and raised eyebrows by describing Qatar as a “leading country on workers’ rights.”
Previous news about Qatar giving bribes and expensive gifts to important figures to influence international political decisions was reflected in the press. Qatar is the target of criticism for the deaths of thousands of workers during the construction of the World Cup and for bans on the LGBT movement.