A European Parliament member implicated in an alleged corruption scheme involving Qatar will remain in detention until at least next week after her hearing was postponed by a judge on Wednesday, judicial officials told The Associated Press.
Eva Kaili, a Greek-European lawmaker and vice-president of the European Union’s governing body, whose term was terminated this week by fellow lawmakers, had been scheduled to appear before a judge in Brussels on Wednesday alongside three other people who also were arrested in connection with the case. Kaili’s lawyers said she denies any involvement in the alleged scandal.
Kaili’s lawyer, André Risopoulos, said his hearing had been rescheduled for Dec. 22, but declined to provide further details. Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office confirmed the new date, when a judge will decide whether to keep her in custody.
Police have carried out more than 20 searches, mostly in Belgium but also in Italy, as part of an investigation into alleged bribery to obtain political favors. Prosecutors said in a statement that they suspect that persons “in political and/or strategic positions in the European Parliament have received large sums of money or offered substantial gifts to influence Parliament’s decisions”.
European Parliament via AP
Prosecutors charged four people, including Kaili, with corruption, membership in a criminal group and money laundering.
Belgian authorities have not identified the Gulf country suspected of offering money or gifts to parliamentary officials, but several members of the assembly and some Belgian media have linked the investigation to World Cup host Qatar.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the EU’s relations with any foreign country involved in the bribery would be affected if this was confirmed.
“Trying to influence our decision-making with bribery, if it turns out that is the case, that it is related to certain countries, I would not see how it would not have consequences in the relationship”, he said. “First of all, the fault lies with the people who allow themselves to be bribed. Let’s be clear. But it’s not just them. There are always two sides to this.”
Arguably, Qatar has received some favorable reviews in Europe this year, but claims that European officials were paid to provide them would normally be difficult to establish. However, investigators seized hundreds of thousands of euros from employees’ homes, according to Belgian prosecutors.
De Croo added that the scandal was proof of the need for “more scrutiny and more transparency in the European Parliament”.
“We are partners with the president, Roberta Metsola, to improve the operation and bring more transparency and really go to the bottom of the investigation that is taking place”, he said.
Discussing the bribery investigation on CBS News on Wednesday morning, Senior Foreign Correspondent Charlie D’Agata explained why the European Union has taken these allegations so seriously.
“Well, they want to end the corruption and allegations of corruption,” D’Agata said.
“In theory, anyway, the European Union considers itself very high, and there are certain thresholds that must be met. And very high on that is corruption,” he added. “So when there is suggestion, insinuation, allegations of corruption, they want to close the door quickly. I mean, other MEPs have said, ‘This is a serious threat to European democracy.’
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, described the allegations as “of the utmost concern” and “very serious” in comments to reporters on Monday.
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