Following an investigation into alleged illegal lobbying actions by Qatar, the European Union is facing a massive corruption crisis. A senior MEP has also been suspended from her party as a result of the ongoing investigation, which has resulted in the arrest of four people.
As part of the investigation, Belgian police examined 16 properties in and around Brussels on Friday. Investigators are investigating whether Qatar attempted to influence positions in the Parliament in ways that “go beyond conventional lobbying,” according to Belgian media source Knack “. “The raids seized over €600,000 ($631,000) in cash, smartphones, and computer equipment.
Vice-President of the European Parliament is among those held
Eva Kaili, vice-president of the European Parliament, is said to be among those held. She is a member of the Greek socialist party Pasok and has been suspended from the parliament’s Socialists and Democrats group. She was also kicked from Greece’s center-left Pasok party. On Sunday, Kaili was charged with corruption and put in detention after Belgian authorities discovered “bags of cash” in her residence.
Belgian police are investigating claims that figures acting on behalf of Qatar, the Gulf monarchy and World Cup host, paid large bribes to European lawmakers in order to influence the policy debate in Brussels.
The Parliament has been accused of being too easy on Qatar in the run-up to the World Cup. According to reports, parliamentary assistants were the primary targets of the larger searches. According to Politico, other detainees include Luca Visentini, secretary general of the International Trade Union Confederation, and Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former S&D MEP from Italy who chaired the Parliament’s human rights subcommittee.
“For several months, investigators from the Federal Judicial Police suspect a Gulf country of influencing the European Parliament’s (EP) economic and political decisions,” the prosecutor’s statement said.
The European arrest warrant, which also led to the arrest of Panzeri’s wife and daughter in Italy, accused him of “intervening politically with members working at the European Parliament for the benefit of Qatar and Morocco”.
Despite criticism, Eva Kaili described Qatar as a “frontrunner in labor rights”
Despite widespread criticism of the working conditions of stadium construction workers, Kaili recently described Qatar as a “frontrunner in labor rights” after meeting with the country’s labor minister.
Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup and has been embroiled in a number of scandals. Aside from working conditions, it has been chastised for its discriminatory policies regarding LGBTQ+ people and migrant labour.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, the host country contacted people “with a strong political and/or strategic position” in the Parliament and sent them “substantial amounts of money” and “important gifts.”
