From Doha they want to give an idyllic picture to the world, especially during the World Cup and there is no room for accusations about violations of fundamental rights
Everything has a price, but for the petro-monarchies price is not an issue. In the same week that the sixth edition of the International Award for Anti-Corruption Excellence, named after the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, was held in Doha, ‘Qatargate’ broke out in Brussels. While seven organizations and individuals in the Gulf received this award in recognition of “their work to fight corruption and preserve the rule of law”, in the heart of Europe the Belgian police uncovered a plot to buy wills from the Qataris.
The scandal in Brussels has so far ended with the arrest of the Vice President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, and the indictment of three other people on charges of accepting bribes in the form of money and gifts in exchange for the influencing political decisions and economics in the European Parliament. From Doha, they want to give the world an idyllic picture, especially during the 29 days of the World Cup, and in that showcase there is no room for accusations about the working conditions of migrants who worked day and night before the World Cup event, for example. I was able to celebrate in time. In recent years, Qatar has pushed through reforms as criticism has grown, such as the forced labor complaint to the International Labor Organization, and now the interventions of MEPs and other officials who praised these labor reforms rather than condemned the situation are being analyzed from the employees.
From Qatar they defend that they are victims of “a media campaign”, in the words of the emir, which tries to give a negative image of the country. A manipulation or “fake news” based campaign blamed on neighbors like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, which also imposed a strict blockade on some Qataris from 2017 to 2021 who, according to what was discovered in Brussels, are taking refuge would take to its financial muscle to unleash criticism.
The Gulf states are golden cages run by clans that, thanks to gas and oil, are expanding their network of interests around the world. From the West, the violation of human rights is censored, the situation of women and the LGTBI collective, the regime of semi-slavery of migrants from Asia… But when money comes into play, they look the other way, especially when it passes from allied governments such as the UAE or Saudi Arabia.
Within the petro-monarchies, “most cases of high-level official corruption or embezzlement are handled quietly and without ceremony. The officials involved usually resign or leave their posts suddenly, with limited media coverage. Rumors circulate but are rarely confirmed, and investigations almost never lead to prosecution, fines or jail time,” experts Tarik Yousef and Robert Beschel explain in a recent article by the Brookings Doha think tank.
In this general framework of opacity, Qatar’s decision to arrest its economy minister, Ali Sharif al-Emadi, for questioning about alleged crimes, including misuse of public funds and abuse of power, came as a surprise a few months ago. Al-Emadi lost his position and was also removed from the board of the Qatar National Ship.
At the recent presentation of the international anti-corruption award in Doha, the emir was joined by Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, another international body suspected of pandering to the Gulf’s millions in the process of declaring Qatar point as World Headquarters. After a decade of investigation, the US Justice Department first revealed in 2020 that representatives of Russia and Qatar had bribed FIFA officials to secure the awards of the 2018 and 2022 competitions. in the case of Qatar, they pointed to three South American officials responsible for receiving payments from the emirate, as reported by “The New York Times.” These are Argentine Julio Grondona, who died in 2014, Paraguayan Nicolás Leoz, who died under house arrest in 2019, and Brazilian Ricardo Teixeira, who is still in his country where there is no extradition agreement with the United States.
The scandal is now shaking the EU, one of the neuralgic points where the various lobbies that try to influence decision-making operate. “This kind of practice is common among various national pressure groups and I believe that the difference between what Qatar has done and what other countries are doing is minimal or non-existent,” say sources close to the consulted Parliament, who do not hide. surprised by the police action.
Source: La Verdad
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