Former Vice-President of the European Parliament (EP) Eva Kaili, suspected of receiving bribes from Qatar, confessed on Tuesday that she knew of the existence of large sums of money in her home, but did not admit she had been corrupted.
The Greek socialist MEP has been detained for more than a week and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday at the Brussels court of first instance to decide whether the policy remains in pre-trial detention.
The judicial authorities have already ordered that the other two suspects in the context of the scandal known as “Qatargate” – Eva Kaili’s partner, Francesco Giorgi, who has already admitted in statements to the police that he took part in the corruption scheme and the former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri – to be taken into custody.
According to the current edition of the newspaper Le Soir, which had access to the investigation, Eva Kaili admitted to detectives that she had asked her father to hide part of the thousands of euros that were in her house, and that a suitcase of money had been found. to the Sofitel hotel, where the MEP’s parent was staying.
It was precisely the role of Kaili’s father that enabled the Belgian police (responsible for conducting the investigation) to act, despite the immunity granted to the Vice-President of the EP at the time, as she was believed to have committed a flagrant delicto. .
Francesco Giorgi, whom the court confirmed in pre-trial detention on the 14th, confessed before the investigating judge to his participation in an organization that allegedly received bribes from Qatar and Morocco to gain political and economic benefits in the European Union (EU).
The researchers considered theex-socialist MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri as the leader of the plan, pointing out that he used the non-governmental organization (NGO) Fight Impunity to reach out to MEPs and “honorary” members, including the former European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, the Greek Dimitris Avramopoulos and the former EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, the Italian socialist Federica Mogherini.
Panzeri’s wife and daughter were arrested in Italy for alleged involvement in the corruption case, and Italian justice cleared the former’s extradition to Belgium, where authorities suspect she played an active role in the scheme.
However, the defense of Panzeri’s wife announced that they would appeal the decision, the Italian press reported.
In addition, according to the newspaper Le Soir, both Giorgi and Panzeri mentioned in their statements the involvement of Belgian Socialist MEP Marc Tarabella, who has already been questioned by the police and his house searched, but remains at large.
Lawyer says Kaili blames Panzeri for cash found in her house
The lawyer for the former vice president of the European Parliament assured on Tuesday that Eva Kaili holds former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri responsible for the large amount of money found in his house when he was arrested in the context of the ‘Qatargate’ scandal. .
Eva “Kaili never admitted asking her father to withdraw the money [da sua casa] and hide it,” Michalis Dimitrakopoulos assured the Kathimerini internet portal, adding that the former MEP “only found out about the existence of the money just before the searches and asked for its immediate return to its owner, Mr. [Antonio] armor”.
Source: DN
