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The Greek MEP at the centre of a corruption scandal engulfing the European Parliament will have to wait in prison until next week to find out whether she will be released on bail pending a trial.
The Greek Socialist MEP Eva Kaili is one of four suspects arrested last week in connection with a major police investigation into cash for influence involving Qatar’s government.
In a statement, Belgium’s public prosecutor said “defendant EK” had not been present at the hearing, “having requested a postponement”, and would appear before the judicial chamber on December 22nd.
However, Ms Kaili’s lawyer, Andre Risopoulos, told AFP that she had not been able to attend court because of a staff strike in the prison where she is being held.
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Another lawyer for Ms Kaili told the agency she was innocent and denied “false rumours” that she had received bribes from Qatar. Michalis Dimitrakopoulos said the MEP “did not know of the existence” of the cash found at her home. He said that Ms Kaili’s partner, Francesco Giorgi, might have “answers about the existence of this cash”. Mr Giorgi, a parliamentary assistant, has also been arrested and found out on Wednesday he will remain in pre-trial detention.
Qatar’s government has denied any wrongdoing.
Two suspects, identified as FG and PP, will remain in pre-trial detention, the Belgian prosecutor said, while a third was said to be subject to an electronic tag.
The European Parliament is still reeling from the biggest corruption scandal in its history, while senior politicians have warned that the EU’s credibility is at stake.
David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told the Guardian he felt anger and fury at the “totally incredible” situation. “It is just appalling to see that we have an ongoing police investigation regarding corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation.”
“This whole story reminds you of a bad Netflix series and it is sad reality,” said Mr McAllister, a centre-right German MEP.
On Wednesday Belgian police released photos of neatly stacked bundles of cash worth nearly €1.5m that had been seized during raids on 20 addresses in Brussels since last Friday.
A Belgian judicial source told Agence France-Presse that €150,000 was found in Ms Kaili’s flat, €600,000 in her partner’s home, and €750,000 in her father’s hotel room.
Police have also searched several European Parliament offices in order to seize data for their investigation. Several bureaus, including Ms Kaili’s, are now sealed off with police tape.
MEPs are expected to vote on Thursday in favour of setting up a special committee to identify problems in the European Parliament’s transparency, integrity and anti-corruption rules. The parliament is also considering setting up an inquiry committee to investigate corruption and third countries once the current legal proceedings have concluded.
According to Mr McAllister, the parliament will call on the European Commission to issue a long-delayed proposal on an EU-wide ethics body. He added that the parliament would also discuss the “proper regulation and monitoring of the friendship groups”, unofficial bodies that can be sponsored by lobbyists and foreign governments.
The European Parliament’s Qatar friendship group has been suspended since the scandal broke.
MEPs voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to remove Ms Kaili as one of the European Parliament’s 14 vice-presidents. The former television presenter has also been expelled from the parliament’s Socialists and Democrats group and Greece’s Pasok party, while Greek authorities have frozen her assets.
European leaders are expected to discuss the scandal on Thursday, when they hold a regular meeting with the European Parliament president, Roberta Metsola, at an EU summit.- Guardian