Italy’s Francesco Giorgi, the emotional partner of Eva Kaili, a former vice-president of the European Parliament, admitted involvement in a bribery scheme that reached Qatar and Morocco within the European Parliament. The disclosure came as Le Soir, a Belgian newspaper, reported on Thursday that the investigation pointed to several individuals connected to the case.
Kaili, 44, and Giorgi, 35, the father of a two-year-old daughter, pleaded guilty in police interrogations conducted by Belgian authorities as part of the ongoing scandal. The admissions followed a judicial questioning that occurred last Friday.
The deputy, who was placed in precautionary detention by the judge this Wednesday, implicated former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzieri as the mastermind of the conspiracy. Panzieri is also in temporary detention, with police authorities having seized 700,000 euros from his residence.
Panzieri’s wife and daughter were arrested in Italy, and Belgian authorities demanded their extradition. The investigation also touched two other Social Democratic MPs: Belgian Marc Tarabella, whose address had been previously registered in relation to the inquiry, and Italian Andrea Cozzolino, with whom Giorgi served as an assistant.
Kaili herself is facing a trial in temporary detention, with the scheduled hearing before the judge set for the 22nd of the following month. She was unable to attend this Wednesday due to a civil service strike, according to records.
Police records show that hundreds of thousands of euros in cash were found at Kaili and Giorgi’s home, where the couple has maintained a relationship for five years. Authorities also observed Kaili’s father leaving a Brussels hotel carrying bags of money, raising questions about parliamentary immunity and the seriousness of the alleged crimes.
Le Soir reported that Giorgi did not implicate Belgian European Parliament Member Maria Arena, who could not be reached by police operations. The newspaper noted that one of Giorgi’s assistants was involved in what is described as a conspiracy within the Eurochamber, according to the investigation.
New details cited by Le Soir increasingly point to Morocco, not just Qatar, as a source of bribery. The report mentions Abderrahim Atmoun, Morocco’s ambassador to Poland, and two Moroccan security service agents, though their names were not disclosed publicly. This development broadens the scope of the inquiry and underscores the potential reach of the alleged scheme within European political networks.