Belgian justice demands the loss of jurisdiction so that they can be prosecuted in the case of the corruption plot discovered in Brussels
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, announced on Monday the opening, at the request of the Belgian judiciary, of an urgent procedure to lift the parliamentary immunity of two deputies involved in the ‘Qatargate’, the Brussels corruption scandal. shocked and has already led to the preventive detention of four people for the crimes of corruption, money laundering and membership of a criminal organization.
The European Parliament has not released the names of the two defendants, but sources close to the investigation, quoted by Agence France Press, have assured that they are Italian Andrea Cozzolino and Belgian Marc Tarabella, both from the Social Democratic group.
Tarabella’s apartment was searched as soon as the scandal reached the media, on December 9, when the first arrests took place. He and Cozzolino are under investigation due to their close ties to former lawmaker and founder of the NGO Fight Impunity Pier Antonio Panzeri, the alleged ringleader of the entire plot.
“Parliament will be on the side of the law. Corruption cannot benefit anyone and we will do everything we can to fight it,” he added, Metsola said in a statement. The process to lift the immunity of the two MPs could take weeks. The first step will be taken next week, when the face-to-face sessions in the Eurochamber will resume. From there, the matter remains in the hands of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs. The speaker of parliament “asked all services and committees to prioritize this procedure so that it is completed by February 13.”
So far, the highest institutional position implicated in the plot is former vice president Eva Kaili of the Social Democratic group. He is in custody, just like Panzeri and two other people. There was no need to revoke Kaili’s immunity to arrest her because bags of large amounts of cash were found in her house.
Investigators have so far seized €1.5 million in 20 house searches, including several at European Parliament headquarters. In addition to Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania are also suspected of bribing prominent members of the European Parliament to polish their image and pursue more favorable policies.
Source: La Verdad
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