The investigation which led Belgian investigators to arrest the vice-president of the institution, Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili, on December 9 is continuing.

The European Parliament announced on Monday 2 January that it had launched an emergency procedure, following a request from the Belgian judicial authorities to lift the immunity of two MEPs in the context of an investigation into corruption within the institution involving Qatar.

The two elected officials concerned are the Italian Andrea Cozzolino and the Belgian Marc Tarabella, both belonging to the S&D group (Social Democrats), we learned from sources familiar with the matter.

>> To read: Lobbying: the European Parliament, a model of transparency in the turmoil of "Qatargate"

Both are targeted in the investigation of Greek Socialist MEP Eva Kaili.

His companion, the Italian Francesco Giorgi, who is also Andrea Cozzolino's parliamentary assistant, the former Italian socialist MEP Pier-Antonio Panzeri, as well as an NGO official, Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, also counted among those arrested.

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THE DEBATE - Qatar: Corrupt MEPs?

A vice-president of the Parliament imprisoned © France 24

"Scandal"

These four personalities have been charged with "belonging to a criminal organization", "money laundering" and "corruption", in a scandal that has caused shock waves in the European Parliament and tensions between Qatar and the EU.

Eva Kaili did not benefit from her parliamentary immunity because the offense had been found in flagrante delicto, "bags of tickets" having been discovered in her apartment.

She was stripped of her title of Vice-President of the European Parliament on December 13 by an almost unanimous vote of MEPs.

In Belgium, the investigation gave rise to twenty searches between December 9 and 12, including within the European Parliament.

The home of Marc Tarabella had been searched on December 10 in this context, according to a judicial source.

 In total, the Belgian investigators got their hands on 1.5 million euros in cash, according to a judicial source, seized from the homes of Pier-Antonio Panzeri and Eva Kaili, as well as in a suitcase transported by the her father.

"Responding to a request from the Belgian judicial authorities, I have launched an urgent procedure to lift the immunity of two members of Parliament. There will be no impunity, absolutely none," the President of the European Parliament said on Twitter on Monday. , Roberta Metsola.

"The officials will find this Parliament on the side of the law. Corruption cannot pay and we will do everything to fight it," she also said.

"As a precaution"

Roberta Metsola will formally communicate this request to MEPs during their next plenary session on 16 January in Strasbourg.

The Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) will then have to examine it behind closed doors and pronounce a proposal for a decision, which will ultimately be voted on by all MEPs in plenary.

The President of Parliament "has asked all departments and committees to give priority to this procedure, with a view to its conclusion on February 13", the press release specifies.

As of December 13, the Belgian Socialist Party had decided to suspend Marc Tarabella from his membership.

And on December 16, the Italian Democratic Party announced that it would "preventively" suspend Andrea Cozzolino from its membership register, "until the closure of the ongoing investigations into the 'Qatargate' scandal", so as to "protect the 'party image'.

With AFP

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