A suitcase full of cash: European Parliament hit by Qatar corruption investigation

European leaders have called for tightened anti-graft controls at the European Parliament after Belgian prosecutors seized a suitcase of cash and made a string of arrests in a sweeping investigation into suspected bribery by World Cup host Qatar.

Over the weekend and into Monday, prosecutors searched the homes of two MEPs and office spaces in the European Parliament and placed four people, including an MEP, under arrest, a statement from the prosecutor’s office said.

The searches found €600,000 at the home of a suspect, “several hundred thousand euros in a suitcase in a Brussels hotel room”, and about €150,000 in the apartment of an MEP, according to the statement.

The investigators said they suspected people with influential positions “within the European Parliament were paid large sums of money or offered substantial gifts to influence parliament’s decisions”. Qatar has denied any wrongdoing.

“People think ‘there are hostages – it is what it is’. But there are families who cannot carry on with their lives”

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Arriving in Brussels for a meeting of foreign ministers, Simon Coveney called for a full investigation of the “scandal”.

“It is damaging and we need to get to the bottom of it, and we need to have a full and transparent investigation so we can have an explanation of what happened,” he said.

“It’s a big part of European democracy, and this is a scandal we need to expose the truth around, so we can ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, announced that a legislative work on a visa waiver for Qatar and Kuwait would be delayed.

“Malign actors” had used “NGOs, unions, individuals, assistants and members of the European Parliament” as part of an “alleged criminal network”, she told MEPs.

Parliament’s security services helped to “freeze” the IT facilities of 10 staff members of the parliament “to prevent the disappearance of data necessary for the investigation”, prosecutors said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said there needed to be “the same rules across all European institutions” overseen by an ethics body.

“It is a question of confidence of people into our institutions,” she said.

While the suspects have not been named by investigators, a spokesperson for the parliament said a formal procedure would be held on Tuesday to strip the Greek social democrat MEP Eva Kaili of her role as one of the parliament’s vice presidents. Ms Kaili’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

A former television presenter, Ms Kaili repeatedly defended the human rights record of Qatar in the run up to the World Cup, calling it a “front-runner in labour rights” in a speech to parliament last month. She has been expelled by her political party Pasok.