Before the corruption scandal that came to light on Friday, Greek EU politician Eva Kaili was only known in her home country and on the Brussels stage. Now the Vice-President of the European Parliament has been the “face” of an alleged corruption network since she was arrested along with four other suspects for “gang corruption and money laundering”. Earlier, she was dubbed “The Farsighted One” by major media outlets and even included on the list of MEPs with the greatest influence.
Even people who have little to do with Greece or European politics know Eva Kaili by now. Because the 44-year-old is involved in a tangible corruption scandal in which World Cup host country Qatar is central. Although the presumption of innocence also applies to MEPs, the indignation is great.
She was hailed as “The Farsighted One” by the “Mirror” in 2011. The Brussels connoisseurs of “Politico” placed her on a list of MEPs with the most influence.
Architect, TV presenter and finally politician
At just 26 years old, the trained architect was elected to the city council of her hometown of Thessaloniki. She had previously succeeded as a presenter at the highly regarded private broadcaster Mega TV. The socialist party PASOK soon noticed her. In 2007 she was elected for PASOK to the National Parliament of Athens for the first time. She also completed a master’s degree in International and European Relations.
But the time in the National Assembly was over in 2012. She was thwarted by the then PASOK boss Evangelos Venizelos, who was from the same constituency and ran there himself. Kaili then reoriented. In 2014 she was elected to the European Parliament. There she made a name for herself in the scientific field. She was also involved in the issues of migration and child protection.
Kaili praised Qatar as a leader in labor rights
According to media reports, Kaili is in a private relationship with an Italian political adviser who was also arrested on Friday. A speech she gave in the EU parliament after a visit to Qatar on 21 November also attracted a lot of attention. In it, the vice president praised the Gulf state as a pioneer in the field of labor rights. The country opened up to the world. “Yet some here are calling for discrimination against them (the Qataris). They bully them and accuse anyone who talks to them of corruption.”
“Considerable sums of money” from Qatar
Little is known about the background to the corruption scandal on Saturday. The investigations, which according to the Belgian public prosecutor’s office led to 16 house searches and five arrests, concern a suspected criminal organization and allegations of corruption and money laundering. “A Gulf state” would have tried to influence the EU parliament, according to the authority. According to media reports, it concerns Qatar, from which “significant amounts of money or gifts in kind were probably distributed to people in parliament who held political or strategic positions”.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
