The reports of corruption within the European Parliament are ‘very worrying’, says Prime Minister Mark Rutte. One of the suspects is Greek social democrat Eva Kaili. She was one of fourteen Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament.
It is now mainly a matter for the Belgian judiciary, said the prime minister during a debate in the Chamber about the EU summit later this week. He didn’t want to go into the matter any further. He also did not want to speculate about possible consequences of the case. According to media reports, Qatar may be involved in the bribery of a number of MEPs.
Rutte supports the plan of President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission to set up an ethics body for the EU institutions. “Such an institution is needed,” said the prime minister. It fits in with the way of governing the EU and the Dutch transparency agenda, he said.
Bribery Practices
Justice in Belgium has been investigating bribery and money laundering in parliament for more than four months. There have already been several house searches. The offices of parliament employees have also been combed. Hundreds of thousands of euros in cash have been seized. Six people have been arrested, two of whom have been released.
Parties in the House of Representatives are calling for more openness within the European Parliament. A majority wants the cabinet to advocate in Brussels for a “thorough review of the integrity systems” of the EU institutions in order to promote transparency.
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