EU corruption scandal: Eva Kaili and Qatar – what is known so far

What happened?

The first reports came on Friday evening: the Belgian police had arrested the Greek Vice President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, and five other people. Four of them were taken into custody on Sunday by arrest warrant – including Kaili himself, according to media reports. The public prosecutor’s office accuses them of corruption, money laundering, the formation of a criminal organization and attempted influence from abroad. According to judicial circles, Kaili could not escape arrest despite parliamentary immunity because she was caught red-handed, reports the AFP news agency.

During the 16 searches in Brussels on Friday, a total of 600,000 euros in cash was confiscated. According to media reports, investigators later found pockets full of cash in Kaili’s apartment.

Maltese Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola relieved Kaili of her duties at the weekend. The Social Democratic Group also suspended its membership. Kaili’s socialist PASOK party had already expelled her on Friday. The Greek authorities, in turn, froze all of Kaili’s assets. The measure also applies to their relatives, said the anti-money laundering authority.

What role does Qatar play?

According to the public prosecutor’s office, Belgian investigators have been suspecting a Gulf state of “influencing the economic and political decisions of the European Parliament” for several months. Large sums of money are said to have been paid or expensive gifts made to decision-makers in parliament. Investigators confirmed to the dpa news agency that the Gulf state is Qatar.

Kaili was part of the delegation tasked with expanding EU relations with the Arabian Peninsula. That’s why she traveled to Qatar shortly before the start of the soccer World Cup.

Then, in November, it caught the eye when parliament debated a resolution criticizing the World Cup in Qatar. She described the country as a pioneer when it comes to labor law: The World Cup is proof that “sports diplomacy can bring about historic change in a country whose reforms have inspired the Arab world”. She also complained that anyone who spoke to Qataris was suspected of corruption.

When the interior committee voted on easier visa rules for Qatar and other countries in early December, Kaili also took part, although she is not a member of the committee herself – to the surprise of her own faction. According to parliamentary rules, it is possible for MPs to be replaced by non-members when voting. However, SPD Vice-Parliament Katarina Barley told ZDF: “She sat at the very back, where normally only employees sit – far away from our group. You could also say: she hid.”

What does Qatar say?

The country sharply rejects the allegations: “Any connection by the Qatari government to the reported allegations is groundless and seriously uninformed,” the Foreign Ministry said. Qatar operates in accordance with applicable international laws and regulations.

The current World Cup host Qatar has been criticized for years because of the human rights situation and the conditions for foreign workers. Many members of the then FIFA Executive Committee, which awarded the World Cup there in 2010, have now been convicted of corruption. Qatar itself has always denied the accusation of bribery.

Who is Kaili?

The 44-year-old social democrat first studied architecture, later European affairs and was then a presenter at the Greek channel MEGA TV. From 2007 to 2012 she sat in the Greek Parliament, after which she worked as a PR consultant. She has been a member of the EU Parliament since 2014 and has been one of 14 deputies to the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, for a year.

Also who is it about?

Not all suspects are publicly known. What is clear, however, is that her partner, the Italian Francesco Giorgi – a former parliamentary assistant and specialist in human rights and foreign affairs – was also arrested. The two have a two-year-old daughter.

In addition to Giorgi, the Italian ex-Member of the European Parliament Antonio Panzeri was also arrested. He is the founder of the non-governmental organization Fight Impunity, which says it fights for human rights and against corruption worldwide. In Italy, his wife and daughter were placed under house arrest. According to the newspaper “Le Soir” and the magazine “Knack”, Giorgi and Panzeri were taken into custody.

The house of another MEP was also searched on Saturday evening. According to media reports, it is the Belgian social democrat Marc Tarabella. His party quoted him before an internal party committee. Tarabella told the Belgian news agency Belga: “I have absolutely nothing to hide and will answer all questions.” The judiciary is only doing its job, which he finds completely normal. Tarabella is Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula. He is not charged with any criminal offences.

What’s next?

In principle, Kaili is still in office – parliament must formally confirm her suspension. Vice-President Katarina Barley told Reuters the Socialist Group would seek Kaili’s recall as parliamentary vice-president.

In terms of visa liberalization, the scandal could also become a problem for Qatar. There is now criticism of the Yes of the Interior Committee from November. “If the EP was possibly influenced with money from forces from abroad, the procedure in Parliament must first be stopped,” demanded the chairman of the CDU/CSU group in the EPP group, Daniel Caspary. In this situation, of course, there can be no liberalization, wrote Green MP Erik Marquardt. “The planned vote on this will either be referred back to the Home Affairs Committee to draw the right conclusions, or we will vote against visa liberalization as a parliament.”

Green party leader Terry Reintke also called for changes to the transparency rules for the EU Parliament. Representatives from third countries such as Qatar should be included in the lobby register, she told Reuters. SPD politician Barley, on the other hand, emphasized that the rules are already very extensive.

In any case, there will be no more parliamentary trips to the Gulf for the time being: A parliamentary spokesman confirmed to the AFP news agency that a trip to Qatar planned for the end of December by MEPs would be canceled “due to the current circumstances”.