The ‘bribery from Qatar’ scandal that shook Europe grows: ‘The biggest corruption to date’
Arrest warrant was issued for 4 people, including Greek Deputy Speaker of Parliament Eva Kaili, who was dismissed as part of the bribery investigation, which is described as the biggest corruption scandal in the European Parliament.
The “bribery from Qatar” scandal, in which Greek deputy Eva Kaili, Vice President of the European Parliament (EP) was also detained, is growing.
While the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced that the operations regarding the case, in which 5 people were detained, including Kaili, are continuing, Kaili was arrested yesterday. Arrest warrants have been issued for four people, including Kaili, who were accused of trying to influence the AP’s decisions by lobbying for Qatar in exchange for bribes.
While the arrested persons were charged with being a member of a criminal gang, money laundering and corruption, the two detained were released.
‘BIGEST CORRUPTION SCANDAL’
European sources point out that this is the biggest corruption scandal in the European Parliament. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, also went to Brussels to examine the operations on the spot.
While searches were conducted in 16 houses during the operations, Luca Visentini, Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation, who is Kaili’s boyfriend, and Antonio Panzeri, one of the top politicians of Italy, are among the names detained. 600,000 euros in cash were seized during the searches.
Kaili, a 44-year-old Greek Socialist MP, has been expelled from the Greek PASOK party and his post as Vice-President of the European Parliament responsible for relations with the Middle East, following the scandal.
PRAISE THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS IN QATAR
Eva Kaili met with Ali bin Semih al-Mahri, Minister of Labor of Qatar, last month and described Qatar as a “pioneering country in labor rights”. Kaili also accused some European politicians of discriminating against Qatar.
On the other hand, a Qatari official denied the allegations, arguing that they had nothing to do with the bribery scandal.
Qatar is the target of criticism for the deaths of thousands of workers during the World Cup constructions and the bans on the LGBT movement.