Saturday marks one year since the outbreak of the corruption scandal in the European Parliament, which shocked not only Brussels, but all EU capitals. On the eve of the famous anniversary, information leaked from the investigation conducted in Belgium. They show that corruption in the European Parliament has been going on for years. This scandal is known as “Katargate”.
New information
The documents reveal the full extent of the bribery scandal in the European Parliament. They talk about more than 300 attempts to manipulate democracy in the European Parliament.
As indicated on the Politico website, they show that the main suspects, including former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri and his advisor Francesco Giorgi, kept notes for four years and meticulously recorded their activities that were supposed to influence Parliament’s decisions.
The documents show that the actions of those suspected of the scandal had a significant impact on the functioning of the EP. This included six resolutions condemning the human rights situation in Qatar and working towards reaching a visa-free travel agreement between the Gulf state and the EU.
Among the files Politico saw were a spreadsheet from Giorgi’s laptop, which was seized from his Brussels apartment; this contained a list of activities that the suspects would undertake in the period 2018–2022. The spreadsheet contained, among other things: more than 300 activities for which they received high compensation.
The files show that they achieved their goals with the help of a network of colleagues working in parliament, whom they called their ‘soldiers’.
The Brussels portal indicates that the suspects also tried to take advantage of foreign officials’ lack of knowledge about the mechanisms of democracy in the EU. Giorgi told police that he and his boss sometimes told their paymasters about operations over which they had no practical influence because Panzeri misrepresented the scope of his powers in shaping the work of parliament, according to the documents.
This was based on ignorance of how Parliament works
– Giorgi stated in his testimony to the police.
These documents show us that this was a sustained, multi-year attempt to exert nefarious influence over parliamentary proceedings
– said Nick Aiossa, Acting Director of Transparency International EU.
Parliament’s response was weak and modest and certainly does not reflect the seriousness of the scandal that took place last December
– added Aiossa, quoted by the portal.
The leaked documents shed new light on the activities of the scandal’s main negative character, Greek socialist and MEP Eva Kaili. After her arrest, she told police that she only wanted to “open a dialogue” between the EU and the Gulf state because she was deeply involved in “parliamentary diplomacy”.
However, the documents show that she invited the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, to the Football World Cup. Metsola’s spokesperson said the EP chief “never responded to Kaili’s informal message inviting her to the World Cup tournament because “any request for her presence at official events should be addressed to her through official channels.” He added that “the president did not accept tickets for the World Cup in Qatar.”
The Greek woman previously stated that she was innocent and had never received money from Qatar or other foreign governments.
The corruption scandal broke out in December 2022 with the arrest of former Vice-President of the European Parliament Kaila. She is suspected of taking huge bribes from Qatar, and the investigation is ongoing in Belgium.
At the same time, her case is also being investigated in Greece, where she also risks imprisonment. If Kaili is found guilty in Greece, the sentence handed down by the national court will most likely be heavier than that in Belgium.
In Greece, Kaili is under the microscope of the money laundering office, among other things. The investigation will reveal whether she imported dirty money from abroad and invested in Greece, mainly in real estate.
In June, her lawyers announced that the Brussels Judicial Council – with the agreement of investigating judge Michel Claise and federal judge Raphael Malagnini – had decided that Kaili could travel to Strasbourg to carry out her duties in the EP.
Another suspect in the ‘Katargate’ scandal – Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella – also appeared many times in the European Parliament. In May, he attended a meeting of the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee in Brussels for the first time since his arrest. Two weeks earlier, his electronic bracelet was removed and he was released from house arrest.
Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino, who came to Belgium in June for questioning as part of the investigation, is also involved in the scandal.
kk/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.