head European ParliamentMaltese Roberta Metsola started Urgent procedure for lifting the immunity of two deputies Eurocámara reported on Monday following a request from Belgian judicial authorities.
The deputies in question Belgian Social Democrat Marc Tarabella and Italian Social Democrat Andrea CozzolinoEuropean sources told Efe.
Procedure, plot Bribery in the European Parliament Connected to Qatar and Morocco It came out last December.
The chairman of the Eurochamber will announce the request for the lifting of the immunity of these two deputies at the general assembly meeting to be held by Eurochamber. next January 16stated the institution.
The request will then be forwarded to the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, which must submit a proposal for a decision.
“From the first moment, The European Parliament has done everything possible to assist the investigations and we will continue to ensure that he does not go unpunished,” the EP chairman said in a statement.
The European Parliament will be “for the law” and will do “everything possible”. corruption, stressed the EP chief.
Metsola plans It will announce its reform intentions in the coming weeks to avoid scandals. in the implementation of the rules, as has happened recently, including the review of existing rules and the improvement of internal systems.
The procedure for lifting the immunity of Members of the European Parliament is regulated in the Regulation of the European Parliament.
Requests for the suspension of immunity are announced by the President of the European Parliament at the plenary session and then forwarded to the competent Commission.
At that time, The Legal Affairs Committee should appoint a rapporteur.the case will be presented at a meeting of this commission and a hearing may be held.
The draft report on the immunity request will be discussed and voted in this commission. will adopt a recommendation for the entire Parliament to approve or reject the request.
The recommendation will then be presented to the plenary session of the European Parliament, which will need a simple majority for approval.
The EP president would then convey the Parliament’s decision to the relevant MPs and the competent national authority.
Metsola asked all services and commissions to prioritize this procedure. To be finalized before 13 February 2023.
European Parliament Member of Parliament Marc Tarabella, whose address was sought in Belgium but no charge was found, was expelled from his party, while Italian Socialist Andrea Cozzolino was expelled from the Social Democrat group in the European Parliament.
Tarabella assured her that she was innocent, and Cozzolino publicly announced that she wanted to testify before a judge and was willing to waive her legislative immunity because she was innocent and was subject to a media trial.
So far, there are four defendants in custody in PE in the bribery case.
These are the Greek Member of the European Parliament Eva Kailí, her partner and deputy parliamentarian Francesco Giorgi, the general secretary of Niccolo Figa-Talamanca and the Italian former Member of the European Parliament Pier Antonio Panzeri.
Second, a Social Democratic politician from the Democratic Party and currently in charge of the NGO Anti-Impunity (fighting impunity), is considered the alleged ringleader of the corruption scheme.