Eva Kaili, a Vice-President of the European Parliament from Greece, has been placed in detention by Belgian authorities and suspected to be involved in a bribe scandal related to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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“Following the latest developments and the investigation of the Belgian authorities into the corruption of European officials, PASOK’s MEP Eva Kaili has been expelled from the party by decision of President Nikos Androulakis,” announced the center-left party.
According to a report by Le Soir, Kaili and at least four others have been detained by agents of the Central Office for the Suppression of Corruption in Brussels. The arrests are believed to have taken place after the individuals accepted bribes from a “Gulf state”.
It has not been confirmed with certainty who the Gulf state is, but several media outlets have claimed that Qatar is responsible for attempts to bribe MEPs.
One of the individuals who has reportedly been arrested is Luca Visentini, Kaili’s partner and the newly elected General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation.
Pier-Antonio Panzeri was another name brought up in connection with the investigation. He is a former MEP for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) party. The four individuals originally under investigation are all believed to be Italian citizens.
Belgian MEPs Marie Arena and Marc Tarabella have also been named in connection with the investigation. The Belgian police have reportedly sealed their offices, together with Kaili’s.
The federal prosecutor’s office confirmed reports that Kaili’s home was searched. She was also taken in for questioning. In total, 16 properties have been searched by investigators.
Belgium’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office said it recovered €600,000 in cash during the searches. The investigators also seized computers and mobile phones for forensic examination.
Police investigating the suspected bribery by Qatar at the European Parliament have found a large amount of cash in her home Belgian daily L’Echo reports.
“Bags of cash found at the home of the European Parliament vice-president,” the paper’s headline reads. It adds Kaili’s father was allegedly found “in possession of a suitcase full of cash and was on the move, having been alerted by his accomplices, as investigators believe.”
A source close to the case told the press that the investigation is centered on alleged attempts by Qatar to corrupt an Italian Socialist who was a member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2019. ■
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