Qatargate: the President of the European Parliament promises transparency
“Nothing will be swept under the rug,” promised European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
AFP - FREDERICK FLORIN
Text by: RFI Follow
4 mins
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, promised on Monday with force to reform the institution shaken by an alleged corruption scandal involving Qatar.
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The day after
the incarceration of four people
as part of the investigation into suspicions of corruption in the European Parliament, the president of the institution, Roberta Metsola, expressed this Monday afternoon her "fury, anger and sadness" in the hemicycle of Strasbourg.
"
There will be no impunity (...) nothing will be swept under the carpet
", she promised, announcing an "
internal investigation
" to examine all the facts related to the European Parliament and to ensure that the institution improves its procedures.
“
We will launch a reform process to see who has access to our premises, how these organizations, NGOs and people are financed, what links they have with third countries, we will ask for more transparency on meetings with foreign actors”
, promised Roberta Metsola.
Belgian police raided the premises of Parliament in Brussels on Monday after the incarceration of Greek elected representative Eva Kaili on Sunday.
This socialist MEP, who occupies one of the 14 vice-presidencies, is suspected of having been paid by Doha to defend the interests of the emirate which currently hosts the World Cup.
Three other people were imprisoned in this investigation.
The amounts seized during the 20 searches carried out to date are spectacular.
The federal prosecutor's account shows "
600,000 euros at the home of one of the suspects, several hundred thousand euros in a suitcase in a room in a Brussels hotel and around 150,000 euros in an apartment belonging to a MEP
”.
No parliamentary immunity
As of Saturday evening, Eva Kaili had been removed from all the tasks delegated by President Roberta Metsola, including that of representing her in the Middle East region.
The Conference of Presidents, the political body of the European Parliament, should launch the procedure on Tuesday morning to vote on the withdrawal of her position as Vice-President for “serious misconduct”.
Excluded from the Greek Socialist Party (Pasok-Kinal) of which she was already a controversial figure, but also on Monday from her political group in the European Parliament (S&D, left), Eva Kaili did not benefit from her parliamentary immunity, because the offense was found in flagrante delicto.
“
Bags of tickets
” were discovered in his apartment.
His continued detention or not, like that of the three other people imprisoned, will be examined on Wednesday before the Brussels council chamber.
His assets were also frozen on Monday by the Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority.
“
These allegations are extremely concerning.
It is a question of trust in the people at the heart of our institutions
”, reacted the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, recalling having proposed the creation of an “
independent authority
” on questions of ethics.
Former television presenter aged 44, Eva Kaili, MEP since 2014 and elected in January 2022 to one of the vice-presidencies of the European Parliament, went to Qatar in early November where she greeted, in the presence of the Minister Qatari Labor, the emirate's reforms in this sector.
The organization of the World Cup by Qatar bears witness to the "
historic transformation of a country whose reforms have inspired the Arab world
", the vice-president also said on November 21 at the rostrum of Parliament.
Doha has denied being involved in corruption attempts.
“
Any allegation of misconduct by the State of Qatar is seriously misinformation
,” a Qatari government official said on Saturday.
A boon for Viktor Orban
The case seems in any case to have amused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“
Hello to the European Parliament
”, he launched on his Twitter account.
“
Hey, MEPs say they are deeply concerned about corruption in Hungary
,” he continues in a mocking tone, embellishing his tweet with a photo of two former American presidents laughing out loud.
Good morning to the European Parliament!
@Europarl_EN pic.twitter.com/VYXGeSOwul
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) December 12, 2022
The scandal is a godsend for the head of the Hungarian government, notes our correspondent in Budapest,
Florence La Bruyère
.
He can thus ridicule the Parliament, whose left-wing majority continues to criticize corruption and violations of the rule of law in Hungary.
On Twitter, an MEP member of Orban's party, (Balazs Hidvéghi), castigates the hypocrisy of left-wing MEPs.
"
The Progressive Alliance group has fabricated lies about corruption in our country
", denounces this faithful of Orban, who adds in an ironic tone: "
And now, here is that their figurehead is involved in the biggest scandal in the European Union
".
This corruption scandal is already having first consequences on the activities of Parliament.
Several MEPs who should have traveled to Qatar in December have canceled their trip "
due to the current circumstances
", declared a spokesperson for the Parliament in Strasbourg.
Parliamentary assistants in the sights of investigators
MEP from 2009 to 2019 within the Socialists and Democrats group, the Italian Antonio Panzeri is suspected of being at the heart of the affair and of having set up a vast machine of corruption.
Several of his former aides who still work in parliament are mentioned in the case.
Starting with Eva Kaili's companion, Francesco Giorgi, who now worked for the deputy of the Italian Democratic Party Andrea Cozzolino.
Asked about the scandal, the collaborator of a French MEP reminds RFI of the essential role played by assistants in the European Parliament.
They can, for example, intervene in the drafting of amendments or the drafting of political declarations and are also much courted by lobbyists.
Several other former assistants and collaborators of Antonio Panzeri have been placed under seal.
Some have important links with the NGO Fight Impunity, founded by the former MEP and which aims to fight against impunity in human rights abuses.
One of them worked in the past for Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella, whose home was raided.
He denies any involvement in the scandal.
This assistant has just joined a conservative Italian MEP from the EPP group.
The others work for Italian elected representatives from the Socialist and Democratic Group.
(
And with
AFP)
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