The lawyer of the former vice president of the European Parliament protests her innocence.
(Photo: IMAGO/ANE Edition)
Brussels The former Vice President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, who is suspected of corruption, remains in prison. The competent court in Brussels extended the Greek woman’s detention by a month on Thursday, the responsible public prosecutor announced.
Two weeks after her arrest on charges of corruption, Kaili made her first court appearance. The magistrate had to decide whether the Greek remains in custody or whether she can celebrate Christmas at home with her two-year-old daughter.
Kaili’s lawyers Andre Risopoulos and Michalis Dimitrakopoulos asked the court to release their client with an ankle shackle under house arrest because there was no risk of absconding. The daughter is now effectively an orphan because both parents are imprisoned. Kaili’s partner Francesco Giorgi is also accused of corruption.
According to media reports, the child is currently living with the grandfather. After the hearing, the lawyers affirmed that Kaili was innocent. She didn’t know anything about the money and is actively working with the investigators.
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The Belgian public prosecutor accuses a total of four people of corruption, money laundering and involvement in a criminal organization. They are said to have received bribes and gifts from the governments of Qatar and Morocco in order to influence decisions in the European Parliament. The police seized around 1.5 million euros in cash at various addresses.
Giorgi and Panzeri still in custody
As a former vice-president of the European Parliament, Kaili is the most prominent figure in the scandal. In addition to her partner Giorgi, the other accused are former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri and Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, who works for the non-governmental organization No Peace without Justice. The court released the latter last week and put him under house arrest with electronic ankle bracelets. Giorgi and Panzeri are still in custody.
Giorgi has already admitted to being part of an organization used by Qatar and Morocco to meddle in European affairs, according to the Belgian daily Le Soir. He managed the cash himself, while Panzeri was the head of the organization.
The scandal has been occupying the EU bubble in Brussels for two weeks. Some MPs fear that he will draw even wider circles. The head of the largest group, Manfred Weber from the European People’s Party (EPP), on the other hand, told the Handelsblatt that it was a matter of “individual failures”.
Dimitrakopoulos sees no danger of escaping from Eva Kaili and urges her release.
(Photo: AP)
As a result of the scandal, transparency rules for meetings with state actors and NGOs could be tightened. Parliament President Roberta Metsola has promised a comprehensive reform in the new year.
Former EU commissioner has to explain himself
Meanwhile, more and more people in Panzeri’s environment are being targeted. The EU Commission this week asked former interior commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos to explain his role at the non-governmental organization Fight Impunity. Panzeri founded the human rights organization after leaving the European Parliament in 2019 and won numerous illustrious names for the supervisory body. The NGO is now suspected of having represented Qatar’s interests.
Avramopoulos, who left the commission in 2019, had accepted a €60,000 payment from Fight Impunity in February 2021. The Commission now wants to know whether he has complied with all the regulations for ex-commissioners, said a spokesman. Former commissioners are not allowed to lobby in their old area of activity for the first two years after their retirement. However, Avramopoulos had his post at Fight Impunity approved by the commission.
Kaili’s lawyers outraged by leaks
Also in focus is Luca Visentini, Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation. He was temporarily suspended from office this week. He had received a donation of 50,000 euros from Fight Impunity and had therefore been questioned by the investigators. Visentini says he is innocent. The money was not tied to any conditions.
Kaili’s lawyers were outraged on Thursday by the many details from the investigation files that are circulating in the public domain. “Le Soir” and the Italian newspaper “La Repubblica” had quoted several times from the interrogation protocols. They reported this week that Kaili had made a partial confession. Accordingly, she had instructed her father to hide hundreds of thousands of euros in cash. He was arrested two weeks ago in a Brussels hotel with a suitcase full of money.
If that were indeed the case, it would contradict the lawyers’ defense strategy. They maintain that Kaili knew nothing.
More: The corruption scandal surrounding Eva Kaili has shaken Athens