Temporarily detained for the third night in a row, The Greek MEP, Eva Kaili, has reportedly been taken to the women's prison in Saint-Jil, following yesterday's announcements by the Belgian Public Prosecutor's Office, which referred to four arrests in the controversial case of "Qatar-gate".
Ms Kaili is reportedly facing serious charges of corruption, money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation, with the case to be judged in court in the coming days. According to information reported by the Star TV station, the Greek MEP was found to be in possession of a total of 160,000 euros in cash in bags, including money found in the possession of her father, Alexandros Kaili.
The latter is an employee of the Region of Central Macedonia, who was on pre-retirement leave in recent days, as he is expected to retire at the end of the year, when he was brought in by Belgian authorities last Friday.
In addition to the MEP's father, her sister, Madalena, who claims to be a consultant on European policy and legislation, is expected to be summoned in the coming days. In fact, she is the head of an NGO (ELONTech) which gives legal advice on new technologies. It is also possible that other persons from the MEP's close circle may be invited, as this is a standard practice of the Belgian authorities.
Next steps
Under the weight of the announcements of the Belgian Public Prosecutor's Office, the Greek MEP will remain in the women's prison for up to five days and will then reappear before the authorities, who will finally decide whether or not to keep her in custody until the start of the trial of the case.
At this, the first crucial turning point for Ms.Kaili, it will be measured whether she is suspected of committing the same or similar offences or whether there will be collusion, i.e. whether she finds the people who will manage to erase her tracks and finally exonerate her in court. Furthermore, it will be about a year to a year and a half before the proceedings begin.
The arrests
Along with Eva Kaili, her partner, Francesco Giorgio, the Italian former MEP Pierre Antonio Panjeri, who is alleged to play an important role in the case, was arrested, as well as a lobbyist whose identity has not yet been revealed.
In contrast, Eva Kaili's father was released, while Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, was also released on parole.
The new suspects
Although the Belgian Public Prosecutor's Office avoided naming the four arrested, the fact that the conclusion of its statement strongly suggests that the investigation has only just begun and that it still has a long way to go was particularly striking in European circles. In particular, 'the Belgian authorities state that no further information will be given for the time being and that there will be further announcements', as stated, while it is also stated that 'a search was also carried out at the home of a second Member of Parliament at around 20:00 the night before'.
According to Deutsche Welle, Belgian MEP, Mark Tarabella of the European Socialists is described as a "new suspect". The aforementioned raid was on his home and took place in the presence and under the control of the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, as Le Soir and Knack magazine point out. Officers of the Central Anti-Corruption Office OCRC seized computers and other material.
At the same time, the possibility that the list of suspects could be extended even further is raised by the search of 16 houses by the Belgian authorities, who seem to be moving step by step, having formed a complete picture of the mechanism of rapprochement of European Parliament officials with Qatar.
The prosecutor's statement:
"A total of six people were deprived of their liberty on Friday 9 December as part of a major investigation by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Police into alleged criminal organisation, corruption and money laundering.
It is suspected that third parties in political and/or strategic positions within the European Parliament were paid large sums of money or offered substantial gifts to influence the decisions of the Parliament.
Four people were arrested by the Brussels investigator leading the investigation. They are accused of involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering and corruption. Two were released by the investigator."
The Bench
Meanwhile, the international press wants Eva Kaili to have been caught "red-handed", that is, carrying a large and unjustified amount of money, erasing any chance of retaining her office as vice-president of EKT. Already, the President of the EP, Roberta Metsola has announced in a letter the removal of all the powers of Ms Kaili, while today the plenary session of the European Parliament will meet in Strasbourg in the presence of the President of PASOK-KINAL, Nikos Androulakis and almost simultaneously, at noon, the Conference of Presidents will convene in Brussels on the same issue.
According to the law, Ms. Kaili, even if she is tried, cannot lose her seat until the court's decision becomes final and after the competent bodies of the European Parliament have convened, which is an unprecedented procedure. The only way she can lose her seat is if she resigns. It is recalled that if she loses the seat, the procedures provided for under national law will be initiated and the seat will be "won" by the third candidate in terms of crosses, Nikos Papandreou.
The chronicle of the rupture
It should be noted that since 26 July Nikos Androulakis wanted to delete it, but the possibility of a new crisis of introversion, combined with the shifting of the debate from the issue of his return, put the brakes on his decisions. However, in Charilaou Trikoupis, they are watching what is happening in Brussels, with the President of PASOK/KINAL sending a message of zero tolerance to corruption in his party yesterday, on the occasion of the Central Committee meeting. He said he would not accept "any hint of corruption whoever it concerns", any personal strategy that puts individual interests above collective interests, and announced that anyone who is not in the mood for joint struggles will be left off the party's ballot papers. He stressed that he will not allow anyone to tarnish the new beginning of the party.
According to information, Mr. Androulakis will be present today in Strasbourg, in the extraordinary meeting of the Eurosocialists group, who are expected to press the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, to have a discussion on both the involvement of Qatar and the need to strengthen the control mechanisms. According to the same sources, a major incident between Eva Kaili and Nikos Androulakis took place in November in Strasbourg. Nikos Androulakis, at the time, had demanded an explanation from his party's MEP for his hymns in favour of Qatar and the working conditions it offers. At the time she had excused herself by saying that her statements had referred to the International Labour Organisation report and how Doha is a pioneer in labour rights, but in the Arab world.
European anxiety
Apart from the lively Greek interest, the Qatar case has plunged all staffs in Brussels into intense concern, as it intensifies the crisis of the institutions and the lack of confidence in the European Parliament.
The European anxiety
Apart from the lively Greek interest, the Qatar case has plunged all staffs in Brussels into intense concern, as it intensifies the crisis of the institutions and the lack of confidence in the European Parliament. A first taste of the case was described by the Italian economy commissioner, Paolo Gentiloni, who called it a "shameful case", a "very serious issue", as he said, launching possible corrections and amendments aimed at control.
Source: protothema.gr
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