Italian trade union official Luca Visentini, who was the target of the investigation into the corruption scandal in the European Parliament, has admitted to receiving a “cash donation” from the non-governmental organization (NGO) of one of the suspects in the scandal. He accepted the sum of “less than 50,000 euros” because of the “quality of the donor and his charitable character,” Visentini said on Tuesday.
The amount was handed over to him by former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri’s NGO “Fight Impunity” (“Fight Impunity”), which is at the center of the corruption scandal.
Visentini, who says he is currently on hiatus as secretary general of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), denied illegal conduct. In exchange for the money he received, he was “asked nothing” and “asked nothing himself”.
Several suspects arrested
The corruption scandal, which has rocked the EU Parliament for over a week, revolves around suspicions that the Gulf state of Qatar has tried to influence parliamentary decisions by donating money. Several suspects have been arrested and at least 1.5 million euros in cash have been found. The investigations initiated by the Belgian public prosecutor’s office are mainly aimed at the now deposed EU vice president Eva Kaili and the former member of parliament Panzeri.
Panzeri is considered one of the prime suspects. He is still trapped next to Kaili and another suspect. Visentini himself was initially arrested, but released two days later.
The donation to him “had nothing to do with any attempt to corrupt or influence his position as a trade unionist in Qatar,” Visentini said. His stance on Qatar “has not changed over time”.
Part of the amount was paid to him to pay back his campaign for the ITUC presidency. Visentini was elected general secretary of the trade union federation in November, which it says unites 338 trade unions in 168 countries and territories worldwide. The ITUC General Council was due to meet on Wednesday evening to decide on Visentini’s future.
Former EU Commissioner of Home Affairs received 60,000 euros from NGO
Meanwhile, former EU interior commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said he had received €60,000 from Panzeri’s NGO Fight Impunity. These were paid to him as “expense allowances,” Avramopoulos told the Greek news agency ANA.
Avramopoulos was an honorary board member of the NGO. He resigned on December 11 after the corruption scandal broke. The EU commission said it would carry out “assessments”.
Source: Krone
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