“Qatargate”: the former vice-president of the European Parliament, Eva Kaïli, kept in detention
The Greek Eva Kaili was until “Qatargate” vice-president of the European Parliament.
AFP - ERIC VIDAL
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
In Brussels, justice has decided to keep in detention the Greek deputy Eva Kaïli, former vice-president of the European Parliament, central figure of the corruption scandal now called “Qatargate” but also affecting Morocco.
The judge did not accede to her lawyers' request to release her.
Like her companion, she therefore remains in detention for at least a month.
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With our correspondent in Brussels,
Pierre Benazet
Eva Kaïli will remain detained in the women's block of Haren prison in the north of Brussels.
This is what the council chamber decided on Thursday, December 22.
This authority in Belgium is responsible for examining whether the placement in pre-trial detention, decided following the arrest, is justified.
The criteria are, for example, the risk of leaks, disappearance of evidence or collusion with other people involved in the case.
At the hearing before the council chamber, Eva Kaïli's Belgian lawyer pleaded for her to be placed on probation, with an electronic bracelet.
According to Maître André Risopoulos, the leaks of the investigation file which were published in the Belgian press are inadmissible and play against his client Eva Kaïli.
“
I decided not to communicate in this file, because the investigation is done by the judicial authorities and it is not done elsewhere.
And that's it, let's end it there.
Otherwise, we are harming both our client and the investigation.
Thank you and I thank everyone for not trying to obtain anything else when the fate of Ms. Kaïli is for the moment in the hands of Belgian justice
, ”said the lawyer.
Placed in pre-trial detention
The provisional detention was ordered on December 11 during the indictment for the four accused of
this corruption scandal
in the European Parliament.
The other three detainees appeared before the council chamber a week ago.
One of them should have been placed on probation with an electronic bracelet, but the decision is suspended because the prosecution has appealed.
The detention of two other defendants was maintained, including that of former MEP Antonio Panzeri, alleged leader of the corruption network, and that of parliamentary assistant Francesco Giorgi, companion of Eva Kaïli.
According to Belgian law, the chamber of the council will have to decide again, every month, on the continued detention of each accused.
►Also read: Qatargate: the emirate denies any involvement and threatens the European Union
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