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Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament

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Eva Kaili (MEP)
Antonio Panzeri
Former European Parliament Vice-President and MEP Eva Kaili alongside former MEP Antonio Panzeri, who were both implicated in the scandal.

The Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament, also known as Qatargate, is an ongoing political scandal in which politicians, political staffers, lobbyists, civil servants and their families are alleged to have been involved in corruption, money laundering and organised crime involving the Qatari State in exchange for influence at the European Parliament. Qatar denies the allegations. Legal enforcement was carried out by Belgian, Italian and Greek authorities, resulting in the seizure of €1.5 million in cash, the confiscation of computers and mobile phones and the arrest and charging of four individuals with corruption, money laundering and organized crime.[1][2][3][4]

Investigation, raids and arrests

In July 2022, the Central Office for the Repression of Corruption (French: Office central pour la répression de la corruption, OCRC, Dutch: Centrale Dienst voor de Bestrijding van Corruptie, CDBC), a unit of the Belgian Federal Police, opened an investigation into an alleged criminal organisation.[5] The investigation was led by investigating magistrate, Michel Claise.[6]

Acting on the investigation, on 9 December 2022, Belgian police executed 20 raids at 19 different addresses across Brussels in connection with the conspiracy and made eight arrests across Belgium and Italy.[5][7] The homes and offices of the suspects were searched, including offices within the premises of the European Parliament buildings in Brussels.[8] In line with the Belgian Constitution, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, was required to return from her home in Malta to be present for the search at the home of Eva Kaili, who has diplomatic immunity as an MEP and a Vice-President of the European Parliament.[9][10]

Following the raids at Kaili's home, her father was later arrested as he tried to flee the Sofitel hotel at Place Jourdan in Brussels after being tipped off about the raids. Investigators found a suitcase with "several hundred thousand euros" on his person as he attempted to flee.[11][12]

Included in the raids were locations linked to Pier Antonio Panzeri, an Italian former MEP. Upon searching his home, police found a large quantity of cash in his "well stocked safe".[5][3] At the same time investigators raided the offices of the international NGO Fight Impunity, an organisation set up to promote the fight against impunity for serious violations of human rights and crimes against humanity of which Panzeri is the president.[13][14]

After the conclusion of the Brussels raids, police had arrested Eva Kaili; Antonio Panzeri; Francesco Giorgi, Kaili's husband and an advisor of Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino; Alexandros Kailis, Kaili's father and former Greek politician; Luca Visentini, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); Niccolo’ Figa-Talamanca, Secretary-General of the NGO No Peace Without Justice; and an unnamed assistant of Italian MEP Alessandra Moretti.[8][11][12][15][16][17] Alexandros Kailis was released from custody and Visentini was conditionally released.[18][a] €600,000 in cash was reportedly found at Panzeri's home with additional cash being found at Kaili's father's home, his hotel room and the home shared by Kaili and Giorgi. In total, the combined amount of cash found in the raids totalled €1.5million.[3][19][7] Following Kaili's arrest she was detained at Prison de Saint-Gilles [fr] until her transfer after five days to a prison in Haren, Brussels.[20][21]

In addition to the searches of properties belonging to those who were arrested, searches were also carried out at the homes of four Parliamentary assistants (Federica Garbagnati, Giuseppe Meroni, Donatella Rostagno and Davide Zoggia), among others, but these raids did not result in arrests. Garbagnati, Rostagno and Zoggia are assistants to MEPs Alessandra Moretti, Marie Arena and Pietro Bartolo, while Meroni works as assistant to Lara Comi.[5][22] Other raids took place at the homes of two undisclosed advisors and one European Parliament official.[9][5]

As the raids were being carried out in Brussels, the Italian State Police executed two European Arrest Warrants across Italy.[23] Maria Colleoni, Panzeri's wife, was arrested at their family home in Calusco d'Adda, close to Bergamo, Italy, and his daughter, Silvia Panzeri, was arrested later that evening in Milan. Both women were transferred to a Bergamo prison for detention.[23][5][24] Shortly thereafter, Italian authorities carried out a raid at the Italian home of Giorgi where an additional €20,000 in cash was confiscated.[25] As of 14 December, the two women had been released under house arrest to a property in Lombardy. [26]

The European Arrest Warrant revealed that the charges against Panzeri also relate to simular charges involving gift received from the state of Morocco.[26]

The day following the raids, on 10 December, a further search was carried out at the home of the vice chair of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula, Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella; Tarabella was not arrested.[27]

On 12 December 2022, it was announced that the Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority had frozen all Kaili's assets and those of close family members. This includes all of Kaili's bank accounts, safes, companies and any other financial asset. Of particular interest to the authorities, according to the head of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority, is a newly established estate agency in Kolonaki, an upmarket neighbourhood of Athens.[28][29]

As the European Parliament convened for the first time following the scandal, convening on 13 December 2022 at its seat in Strasbourg in France, the offices of MEP Pietro Bartolo and Parliamentary official, Mychelle Rieu, were both sealed by investigators.[19]

Trial and prosecution

The four charged suspects, Kaili, Panzeri, Giorgi and Figà-Talamanca, were scheduled to appear at the Palais de Justice, Brussels, the countries primary law courts, on 14 December for arraignment proceedings. Three of the four suspects appeared in court but strike action by prison staff prevented Kaili's appearance. Kaili's appearance was rescheduled for 22 December 2022.[21] Panzeri and Giorgi were both remanded in custody pending further investigation. [30][17]

Reaction

Hemicycle of the European Parliament
Inside the Hemicycle of the European Parliament, Strasbourg

Immediately following the arrests, strong reactions of condemnation of the vice-president came from around the European Union. After the story was first reported by Belgian media, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola confirmed the European Parliament had been complying with an ongoing investigation, without specifying its nature.[31] Immediately following the arrests, both PASOK, Kaili's political party in Greece, and the Socialists and Democrats Group inside the European Parliament announced Kaili's suspension from their respective parties.[32][33] Two days following the arrests, Metsola suspended Kaili's responsibilities and powers as a Vice-President of the European Parliament.[34] In a vote of the full chamber, Kaili was officially removed as vice president by a Supermajority.[35]

At the opening of the first meeting of the European Parliament following the raids, on 12 December President Metsola announced that all work with Qatar would be suspended.[36] At the same meeting the Greens–European Free Alliance and Renew Europe both called for inquiry committee to be set up by the European Parliament.[36] The suspension of Parliamentary business at this time is significant as it comes just three days before the Parliament was due to vote on introducing a visa-free travel agreement with Qatar and other countries.[36] This resulted in the vote on visa-free travel Ecuador, Kuwait, and Oman also being cancelled.[37] In addition, a major and controversial air transit agreement air that would have allowed Qatar Airways unlimited access to the EU market was put on hold after warning that Qatar may have interfered in Parliament's internal deliberations on the agreement.[38] During the negotiations there was criticism by EU member states that the agreement, negotiated by the Parliament's transport committee, was unduly favourable of Qatar.[39]

Ahead of the opening of the plenary discussion several members of the Socialists and Democrats Group stepped down from positions within the Parliament. MEP Marc Tarabella suspended himself from the S&D group entirely, MEP Maria Arena stood down as the Chair of the Parliament's human rights committee, MEP Pietro Bartolo suspended his position as group spokesman on visa liberalisation and MEP Andrea Cozzolino suspended his role as group spokesman on urgencies.[36] Tarabella was later suspended by his national party, the Walloon Socialist Party. [40]

The chair of the Parliamentary EU-Qatar Friendship Group, MEP José Ramón Bauzá (Renew), announced the suspension of the group following the revelation.[19] In a statement Bauzá said "in view of the very serious events of the last few days, and until we get to the bottom of the matter."[41]

The European People's Party (EPP), the largest political group inside the Parliament, took the decision to suspend all foreign policy work relating to all matters external to the European Union until the integrity of the procedure can be ensured. The EPP encouraged other parties to follow suit. [42]

MEP Dino Giarrusso (Non-Inscrits) reported that he and others had been approached by Qatari officials many times: "They were hoping to improve the country's reputation especially in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup".[43]

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, accused the football World Cup host, Qatar, of seeking to buy influence in the European Parliament chamber and that it was of the "utmost concern". Von der Leyen called for a body to be created to uphold the rules on integrity and ethics across all EU institutions.[44] Former President of the European Parliament and current European Commissioner responsible for Foreign Affairs and Security, Josep Borrell, was quoted as saying "the news is very worrisome, very, very worrisome. We are facing some events, some facts that certainly worry me. [We] have to act according not only to the facts but to the ... evidence. I am sure you understand that these are very grave accusations."[45] The European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly was, however critical of the response of Von der Leyen and fellow politicians and institutions highlighting the lack of progress shown by von der Leyen following her pledge that transparency would be a core part of her mandate when she became European Commission President.[2] O'Reilly called for a body to be created with real investigatory and sanctions powers.[2]

Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo was also critical of the European Institutions in his response stating "Belgian justice is doing what, at first sight, the European Parliament hasn't done. the European Parliament has a lot of means to regulate itself. It turns out that this is largely a system of auto-control based on voluntary efforts, which has clearly not been sufficient."[19]

Belgian justice is doing what, at first sight, the European Parliament hasn't done. [...] the European Parliament has a lot of means to regulate itself. It turns out that this is largely a system of auto-control based on voluntary efforts, which has clearly not been sufficient.

—Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium, 13 December 2022[46]

Annalena Baerbock, the German Minister for Foreign Affairs, highlighted that the scandal is leading to concerns from citizens and affects the credibility and legitimacy of the institutions of the European Union.[44]

Reactions also came from European civil society organisations. Transparency International described the incident as "the most egregious case" of alleged corruption the European Parliament has ever seen.[47] The founder of the Good Lobby, commented that "Whatever its final outcome, the Qatar 'corruption' scandal has unveiled an inconvenient, and for most Europeans already obvious, truth. Money does buy influence in the EU." and "The EU Parliament and most of its members have historically resisted stricter integrity rules and effective enforcement system."[11]

As news broke of the investigation, the honorary-board of the implicated NGO, Fight Impunity, resigned en masse. The board members included high profile European policy makers including Federica Mogherini (former EU High Representative in the Juncker Commission), Bernard Cazeneuve (former Prime Minister of France) and Emma Bonino (former EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection in the Santer Commission).[48] The honorary-board has no executive or managerial role so there is no suspicion or accusations against any member of the board.[43]

The Qatari Mission to the European Union said in a statement, "The State of Qatar categorically rejects any attempts to associate it with accusations of misconduct. Any association of the Qatari government with the reported claims is baseless and gravely misinformed. The State of Qatar works through institution-to-institution engagement and operates in full compliance with international laws and regulations."[11]

Kaili has also denied any wrongdoing in the incident. Her lawyers appeared on Greek TV stating, "Her position is that she is innocent, she has nothing to do with bribery from Qatar."[19]

Following Visentini's conditional release on Sunday 11 December 2022, in a statement issued through the ITUC, he replied to the allegations by saying:[18]

I am pleased that the questioning has concluded and I was able to fully answer all the questions. Should any further allegations be made, I look forward to the opportunity to refute them, as I am innocent of any wrongdoing. Any form of corruption is completely unacceptable and I am absolutely committed to the fight against corruption. I also wish to reconfirm the position that I have taken publicly that further pressure must be put on Qatar for workers' and other human rights. The situation today is still not satisfactory, as I stated to the media at the end of my visit to Qatar.[49]

The date of the arrests is notable as all the raids took place on international anti-corruption day.[50]

Notes

  1. ^ Conditional release in this context is similar to bail in other jurisdictions. Bail, defined as "a set of restrictions that the suspect will have to abide by for a set period of time. Under this usage, bail can be given both before and after charge." Released on bail infers no more, or less guilt than an unconditional release.

References

  1. ^ Gregory, James (12 December 2022). "EU corruption charges 'very very worrisome', says foreign policy chief". BBC News.
  2. ^ a b c "EU standards chief calls for tougher lobbying rules amid Qatar scandal". Politico. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Scandale de corruption européen: plus d'1,5 million d'euros cash saisi chez Panzeri et Kaili (photo)". Le Soir. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Qatar Gate, 750 thousand euros seized from Eva Kaili: all in cash, denominations of 20 and 50 euros". L'Unione Sarda. 12 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Matriche, Joël; Colart, Louis; Clérix, Kristof (9 December 2022). "Info «Le Soir»: le Qatar soupçonné de corruption en plein cœur de l'Europe" [Le Soir news: Qatar suspected of corruption in the heart of Europe]. Le Soir (in French). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Qatar corruption scandal: European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili suspended". Brussels Times. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b "The Qatar Corruption Scandal Is Rocking the European Parliament". TIME Magazine. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b Matina Stevis-Gridneff (11 December 2022). "4 Charged With Corruption in Bribery Inquiry Linked to Qatar". The New York Times.
  9. ^ a b "Greek MEP held as Qatar graft probe expands". France 24. 11 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Four charged in connection with Qatar corruption scandal at European Parliament". Euronews. 12 December 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d Rauhala, Emily; Timsit, Annabelle (12 December 2022). "What is the Qatar corruption scandal that has rocked the European Parliament?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  12. ^ a b "EU Parliament 'under attack' as Qatar corruption scandal grows". Politico Europe.
  13. ^ "What We Do". Fight Impunity. 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Who we Are". Fight Impunity. 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
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  17. ^ a b AYUSO, SILVIA (14 December 2022). "'Qatargate': the keys to the scandal rocking the European Parliament". El Pais. Strasbourg. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
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  20. ^ "From Dickensian Saint-Gilles to Heaven in Haren". Politico. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Prison strike pushes Eva Kaili's court session to Dec. 22". Politico. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  22. ^ "Il Qatargate si allarga | Altri italiani coinvolti nella Tangentopoli europea". Linkiesta (in Italian). 12 December 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Qatargate: Italian ex-MEP's wife and daughter arrested". Politico. 12 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Antonio Panzeri, moglie e figlia fermate. La casa di famiglia a Calusco" [Antonio Panzeri, wife and daughter arrested. The family home in Calusco]. Bergamo Corriere (in Italian). 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  25. ^ "Get That Cash". Politico. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  26. ^ a b "Prison strike pushes Eva Kaili's court session to Dec. 22". TVP World. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  27. ^ "EU Parliament VP Kaili charged with corruption in Qatar scandal probe". Politico. 11 December 2022.
  28. ^ "Corruption au Parlement européen: Athènes gèle tous les avoirs de la vice-présidente Eva Kaili écrouée" [Corruption in the European Parliament: Athens freezes all assets of imprisoned Vice-President Eva Kaili]. Le Soir (in French). 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  29. ^ Kokkinidis, Tasos (12 December 2022). "Qatar Scandal: Greece Freezes All Assets Owned by MEP Eva Kaili". Greek Reporter. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  30. ^ Blenkinsop, Philip (14 December 2022). "EU-Qatar graft scandal uncovered by year-long, pan-Europe probe, Belgium says". reuters. Brussels. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  31. ^ Metsola, Roberta [@EP_President] (10 December 2022). "Our @Europarl_EN stands firmly against corruption. At this stage, we cannot comment on any ongoing investigations except to confirm that we have & will cooperate fully with all relevant law enforcement & judicial authorities. We'll do all we can to assist the course of justice" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 December 2022 – via Twitter.
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  37. ^ "EU Parliament Postpones Voting on Schengen Visa Exemption for Ecuador". Schengen Visa Info. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
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  39. ^ "Troubled skies over attempt to protect EU's aviation industry". Politico. 5 January 2018.
  40. ^ "BELGIAN SOCIALISTS SUSPEND LAWMAKER WHOSE HOUSE WAS RAIDED". Politico. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  41. ^ @JRBauza (12 December 2022). "In view of the very serious events of the last few days, and until we get to the bottom of the matter, I am announcing the suspension of the EU-Qatar Friendship Group" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  42. ^ "EPP to Halt Parliament Resolutions on Foreign Affairs". Politico. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  43. ^ a b Pop, Valentina; Borrelli, Silvia Sciorilli; Bounds, Andy (11 December 2022). "European parliament shaken by Qatar corruption scandal". Financial Times.
  44. ^ a b Foy, Henry; Hancock, Alice; Varvitsioti, Eleni; Bounds, Andy (12 December 2022). "Fresh raids as Qatar corruption scandal rocks Brussels". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  45. ^ Rankin, Jennifer; Smith, Helena (12 December 2022). "EU bribery investigation: Greek authorities order freezing of MEP's assets". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  46. ^ "BELGIUM DOES WHAT PARLIAMENT FAILS TO DO, SAYS PM DE CROO". POLITICO.
  47. ^ "Global Insider- Qatargate floods the EU". Politico. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  48. ^ "Big names bail from NGO caught up in EU Parliament graft scandal". Politico. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  49. ^ "ITUC statement concerning Qatar allegations". ITUC.
  50. ^ "International Anti-Corruption Day". United Nations. 1 May 2018.
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