Four people have been charged with alleged participation in a Gulf country bribery scheme
The ‘Qatargate’ has already become the biggest scandal in the European Parliament in recent years. The alleged involvement of one of the chamber’s deputy presidents in the bribery scheme in Qatar, alongside a former member of the European Parliament and a parliamentary assistant, has thrown the institution, which is already open to reforms to strengthen its scrutiny and transparency, into trouble. to improve. The investigation continues to unravel just how far down the plot has its roots. At the moment, four people are charged in connection with the case and at the same time several arrests have been made in Italy. In the twenty raids in Brussels, the Belgian police seized more than 1.6 million euros in cash.
Socialist politics of Greek origin. As of January 2020, she is one of fourteen Vice Presidents of the Eurochamber. At the age of 26, he became a star on Greek television, presenting the news on one of the country’s main channels. She became the youngest parliamentarian of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and made the leap to Brussels in 2014. In one of her latest speeches at the European Parliament, Kaili surprised MEPs and journalists by praising the Gulf country: “Qatar is a leader in labor rights (…). He has made a historic transformation and his reforms have inspired the Arab world,” he said. During this year, the vice president also met several times with senior officials from the Arab country, including Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.
She is currently being charged with corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization. At his home, the Belgian police found about 150,000 euros in cash. In addition, his father was arrested shortly after his arrest when he left a Brussels hotel with a suitcase full of money (about 600,000 euros, according to the Belgian media).
35-year-old MEP assistant and partner of Eva Kaili, with whom he has a daughter. He worked with former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, also accused of the ‘Qatargate’ plot. Currently he was the assistant of Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino (S&D) and is also the founder of the NGO ‘Fight Impunity’. Known as ‘Mr European Parliament’ for his remarkable appeal, he presents himself on his social networks as a lover of sports, especially sailing, with numerous photos while riding a boat. He is charged with money laundering, corruption and membership of a criminal organization.
He was a member of the European Socialist Party between 2014 and 2019 and is said to be the leader of the plot, according to Belgian newspapers. The 67-year-old Italian is also president and founder of the NGO ‘Fight Impunity’, just like Giorgi. During a search of his house in Brussels, the police found about 600,000 euros in cash. Like Giorgi and Kaili, he is accused of corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization. As part of the investigation, several arrests have also been made in Italy and those arrested are said to include Panzeri’s wife and daughter. The two are accused of knowing about the former MEP’s illegal operations.
He is the fourth defendant in the plot and his identity is the last known. He is general secretary of the human rights NGO ‘No peace without justice’. Talamanca, a doctor of international law, is said to be related to the organization ‘Fight Impunity’, founded by former MEP Panzeri and parliamentary assistant Francesco Giorgi, as the offices of the two NGOs are located in the same building in Brussels. Like the rest of the detainees, he is charged with corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization.
Source: La Verdad
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