The bank deposits of the vice-president of the European Parliament (EP) Eva Kaili, arrested on suspicion of corruption, have more than doubled in two years, show the annual patrimonial declarations presented by herself and available on the website of the Greek parliament.
This information is being cited by international organizations.
Eva Kaili, Greek MEP, EP vice-president and member of the European Socialists (Group of Socialists and Democrats, S&D) caucus, was arrested on Friday as part of a Belgian justice investigation related to alleged bribery by Qatar , the host country of the 2022 edition of the soccer World Cup, to influence political decisions in Strasbourg (seat of the European Parliament).
In her 2019 declaration, referring to the 2018 financial year, Eva Kaili declares income of 550,000 euros (more than half of which comes from the sale of a house on the outskirts of Athens), and her bank deposits amount to 210,000 euros, the majority deposited in a Belgian bank, advances today the Spanish agency EFE.
A year later (2019 financial year), its deposits almost doubled, reaching 405,000 euros, although in that period their declared income decreased (219,000 euros). That year he also declared the purchase of a flat in the Psijicó neighborhood, in Athens, worth 270,000 euros.
In 2020, the deposits declared by the Greek MEP continued to increase and reached 461,846 euros, although her income fell again (164,000 euros).
The Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority today ordered the seizure of the assets (real estate, bank accounts, companies) of Eva Kaili and her closest relatives in the country, with the justification that they may be the result of illegal activities.
The main objective of the seizure of assets by the Greek authorities is to quickly locate and block the eventual transfer of money or personal property that could prove the crime of money laundering.
Eva Kaili was arrested on Friday in Brussels and searches carried out by the authorities in her apartment revealed bags with 150,000 euros in cash, according to local press.
His father was arrested that same day in flagrante delicto in a hotel in the Belgian capital, carrying a suitcase with 600,000 euros in cash, with which he intended to flee.
Investigations by the Greek authorities are currently focused on an Athens-based real estate company that Eva Kaili founded a month ago with her partner and EP adviser, the Italian Francesco Giorgi, also detained.
Like Eva Kaili, Francesco Giorgi was accused by a Belgian judge of the crime of participation in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption.
The Greek Minister of Justice, Kostas Tsiaras, assured today on private SKAI television that Greece is fully willing to cooperate with the Belgian authorities to clarify the corruption case.
The Socialists of the EP decided on Saturday to suspend Kaili from the parliamentary group, while her functions as vice president were suspended by the president of the European Parliament, the Maltese Roberta Metsola.
Source: TSF
