BRUSSELS, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Greek MEP had her powers as a vice president of the European Parliament suspended Saturday over a corruption probe implicating World Cup hosts Qatar that has ensnared four others and sparked calls for “root and branch reform” in the EU institution.
European Parliament president Roberta Metsola “has decided to suspend with immediate effect all powers, duties and tasks that were delegated to Eva Kaili in her capacity as Vice-President of the European Parliament,” a spokesperson said.
Earlier Saturday, Metsola said on Twitter that the parliament “stands firmly against corruption”, adding they would do everything they could to “assist the course of justice”.
Socialist MEP Kaili was arrested on Friday hours after four others were detained for questioning.
The arrests followed raids in Brussels which prosecutors said turned up 600,000 euros ($630,000) in cash. Police also seized computers and mobile phones.
Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office said the investigation concerned suspected “corruption” and “money laundering” and an unnamed Gulf country.
News of the arrests sparked outrage and calls for action to tackle corruption inside the European Parliament.
Only a vote of MEPs can strip Kaili of her mandate as a vice-president, but Metsola’s decision effectively strips her position of any powers for the time being.
Kaili, 44, is the partner of one of the four others detained: Francesco Giorgi, a parliamentary assistant with the European Parliament’s Socialists and Democrats group, said a source.
Former Italian MEP Pier-Antonio Panzeri, who served as a socialist in the parliament between 2004 and 2019, was also reportedly arrested together with his wife and daughter.
Kaili is a former television presenter and one of the European Parliament’s 14 vice presidents. In November, just prior to the World Cup, she met Qatar’s Labour Minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri.
In Athens Friday, the president of the Greek socialists (PASOK) Nikos Androulakis announced on Twitter that Kaili had been expelled from the party.
On Saturday, the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament announced they had suspended her membership.
The secretary general of the International Trade Union Confederation, Italian Luca Visentini, was also among those reportedly arrested. The ITUC said it was “aware” of the media reports. — NNN-AGENCIES
