The Belgian federal judicial police have found more than one and a half million euros in cash in the homes of the former vice president of the European Parliament, the greek eva kailiand the former Italian Social Democrat MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, sources from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office confirmed on Tuesday.
The money, according to Belgian police, it was used to bribe European Union officials by an anonymous “Gulf State”, believed to be Qatar.
Officials say £1.3m was seized at three different locations over the weekend, including £500,000 found inside one suspect’s home, £130,000 in another’s apartment and £650,000 inside a suitcase in a Brussels hotel room.
On the one hand, the investigators found around 600,000 euros in Panzeri’s home, while the rest of the money was found at the home of Eva Kaili and her partner Francesco Giorgi, as well as in the hands of the father of the former EP vice president. The couple are among four arrested and charged with money laundering, corruption and participation in a criminal organization.
Panzeri, Kaili and Giorgi, against whom investigative judge Michel Claise issued an arrest warrant, as well as a fourth person arrested in the same case are scheduled to appear before the Brussels council chamber (court) on Wednesday, which will decide whether the maintains or not detainees, reported the newspaper “Le Soir”.
The “Qatargate” has resulted in the imputation this weekend of Eva Kaili, for the crimes of participation in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption.
According to several Belgian media, in addition to the social democrat Kaili, the judge has accused his colleague and adviser in the European Parliament Francesco Giorgi, a Brussels lobbyist and the former social democrat Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri with the same crimes.
The plenary session of the European Parliament dismissed the Greek socialist Eva Kaili as vice president of this institution on Tuesday after her imputation.
Kaili continues for the moment to maintain her status as an MEP since it can only be withdrawn by Greece. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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