Francesco Giorgi confessed to police that Pier Antonio Panzeri led the bribery plot and gave new names of those allegedly involved in the European Parliament
The Italian Francesco Giorgi, partner of the former Vice President of the European Parliament Eva Kaili, has admitted his involvement in the bribery scheme that affects the European Parliament and has identified as the mastermind behind the plot Pier Antonio Panzieri, socialist MEP between 2014 and 2019 The Italian politician was already mentioned in the Belgian media as the main leader of this network with ties to Qatar and Morocco, after a police investigation revealed that he would have received gifts and money from both countries.
In fact, Panzieri’s wife and daughter have been arrested in Italy and Belgium has asked for their surrender. The police found 600,000 euros in cash in the home of the former parliamentarian, who has also been provisionally detained and is accused of corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization.
Giorgi, 35, has also named other suspects, according to the Belgian newspaper ‘Le Soir’. According to his confession before the police and the investigating judge, these would be the Belgian socialist MEP Marc Tarabella, whose address has already been searched by the security forces, and the Italian Andrea Cozzolino, for whom he himself worked as an assistant. Another parliamentarian, María Arena, from Belgium, has publicly denounced that one of her aides is also involved, which would directly affect at least a dozen people in the bribery scandal.
Of these, the most prominent is Eva Kaili, who has already been stripped of her position as Vice-President of the European Parliament and will remain in prison for the time being until she appears before a judge 22 the following day. She is 42 years old and has a two year old daughter with Francesco Giorgi. Her lawyer has announced that the former Greek leader will plead “not guilty” and has given her partner any explanation for the €150,000 found in plastic bags in her apartment. Kaili’s father also confiscated 600,000 euros when he took it in a suitcase.
The Belgian newspaper reports that the development of the investigations consolidates the “Moroccan route” alongside the Qatari one as the origin of the bribes and quotes the Moroccan ambassador to Poland, Abderrahim Atmoun, and two agents of the country’s secret service. Currently, all MEPs who have spoken out in parliament for Qatar and Morocco are under investigation by the House and, in some cases, by investigators. The purpose of the bribes would have been precisely to encourage positive statements about Qatar and to gain more influence within the community’s decision-making bodies.
Source: La Verdad
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