Greek MEP Eva Kaili is among four people whose arrest warrant was issued in Belgium as part of a Qatar-related corruption investigation, according to media reports.
In connection with a corruption scandal in the European Parliament (EP), the Belgian authorities have charged four suspects and issued a warrant for their arrest. “They are accused of participating in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement released on Sunday, December 11, in Brussels.
The prosecutor does not name the accused, but, as AFP writes, citing an interlocutor in the judiciary, Greek MEP Eva Kaili is among them. In addition to Kylie, according to the Belgian media, her parliamentary adviser Francesco Giorgi, the Italian ex-Member of the European Parliament from the Socialist faction Pierre-Antonio Panzeri and another unnamed Brussels lobbyist were taken into custody.
Kommersant.ru, 12/11/2022, “Four European Parliament officials arrested on charges of corruption” According to AFP, the house of Eva Kylie in Brussels was searched. According to the source of the agency, the former MEP was not able to use immunity, as she was detained “at the scene of the crime.” In the house of Mrs. Kylie, bags of money were found. — Inset K.ru
Two other detainees were released by the investigating judge. This is Kylie’s father and Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation Luca Visentini, according to Belgian media.
Police arrest six people on suspicion of corruption
Two days earlier, Belgian police detained Kylie and five other suspects in Brussels as part of an investigation into possible corruption by Qatar hosting the FIFA World Cup. During the searches, computers, mobile phones and 600,000 euros were seized.
“Russian edition of Deutsche Welle”, 12/10/2022, “EP vice-chairman detained on suspicion of corruption”: The European Parliament demanded reforms from Qatar, which should have led to an improvement in the situation. Shortly before the start of the championship, Kylie met with the Minister of Labor of Qatar, Ali bin Samih Al-Marri, and on November 22, speaking at the European Parliament, she gave a positive assessment of the labor market reform in Qatar, calling it “inspiring the Arab world.”
In addition to Eva Kaili, her partner, who works in the European Parliament, as well as an Italian politician, a representative of a trade union association and an employee of an NGO, were detained. — Inset K.ru
According to the prosecutor’s office, on the evening of December 10, the house of another MEP was also searched as part of this investigation. According to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, we are talking about MEP from Belgium Mark Tarabella.
Eva Kaili was removed from the post of vice-president of the EP
After her arrest, Eva Kaili was relieved of “fulfilling all powers, duties and tasks” as Vice President of the European Parliament, a spokesman for European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said on Saturday evening. Earlier, the Greek Socialist Party PASOK, of which Eva Kaili is a member, announced her expulsion.
In the European Parliament, Kylie was one of the representatives to monitor the situation on the labor market in Qatar, where human rights activists note numerous cases of violations of the rights of labor migrants from Asia and Africa.
Shortly before the start of the 2022 World Cup, Kylie met with the Minister of Labor of Qatar, and on November 22, speaking at the EP, she gave a positive assessment of the labor market reform in Qatar, calling it “inspiring the Arab world.”
