One of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament has been arrested because of an investigation into corruption within parliament, sources in the investigation tell Belgian media and news agency AFP.
It would be the Greek Eva Kaili of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D). The Belgian federal prosecutor does not want to confirm names.
The Belgian media Knack and Le Soir wrote on Friday that there would be bribery by Qatar. The Gulf state would have wanted to buy influence by paying people around MEPs.
House searches
The police carried out sixteen house searches in Brussels early on Friday morning, the Belgian Public Prosecution Service confirms. Four people have been taken in for questioning. The OM says that the operation was mainly aimed at employees of the European Parliament and a former member of parliament.
According to Knack and Le Soir, these are Italians around the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament. Trade union leader Luca Visentini and former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, among others, are said to have been arrested.
“Third parties with an important political and/or strategic position in the European Parliament” received “substantial amounts of money” and “large gifts”, the Public Prosecutor said. The intention was to “try to influence the economic and political decisions of parliament.”
The OM does not want to confirm that Qatar is the culprit, but keeps it as “a Gulf state.”