[Politics] European Parliament dismisses from the position of vice-president a socialist deputy arrested by "Qatargate"

[FNX Magokiler]

The European Parliament dismissed legislator Eva Kaili, arrested for apparent receipt of bribes, from the post of vice-president on Tuesday, in a strong reaction to restore credibility, seriously affected by the scandal. The plenary approved by 625 votes in favor and just one against and two abstentions the dismissal of the Greek social democrat from the position of vice president, in a forceful response from the plenary to the case.

Kaili's removal had been recommended to the plenary by the Conference of Presidents, the group made up of the head of Parliament and the leaders of the different political blocs. The press service of the European Parliament announced that the vote that decided the dismissal of Kaili was based on internal regulations and occurred "in the context of investigations in Belgium involving members and staff" of that legislative institution. An investigation opened by the Belgian prosecutor's office led to the arrest and indictment of Kaili and three other people on suspicion of receiving large sums of money from a "Persian Gulf State", which would be Qatar, to defend interests in Parliament. The 44-year-old MEP was arrested after Belgian investigators found bags full of cash at her residence, though her lawyer says she Kaili did not accept any "Qatar bribes".

"His position is that he is innocent. It has nothing to do with Qatari bribery," lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos told a Greek television network, Open TV.

 

 

The Belgian federal prosecutor's office announced on Monday that in raids carried out in three different places it seized several hundred thousand euros in cash. Police also raided an office of the European Parliament in Brussels to seize computer data from a dozen officials. Reform and transparency The scandal represents a brutal blow to the credibility of the European Parliament, which usually takes the initiative in denouncing cases of corruption. For this reason, the president of the parliament, the Maltese conservative Roberta Metsola, expressed her "fury, anger and sadness" over the case, and warned that what happened represents an "attack" on the entire legislature and on European democracy.

"We will launch a reform process to see who has access to our facilities, how these organizations, NGOs and individuals are financed, what links they have with third countries," Metsola promised on Monday. "We will ask for more transparency in meetings with foreign actors," she added. This Tuesday, Metsola and the heads of the different blocks announced the start of an internal reform process in Parliament to "ensure that transparency and accountability are reinforced." Given the scandal, the agenda of the parliamentary plenary for this Tuesday in Strasbourg has been modified, and it will be dedicated to debating the case. On Thursday, a text calling for more transparency in the European institutions will be put to the vote.

 

https://www.emol.com/noticias/Internacional/2022/12/13/1080902/parlamento-europeo-destituye-eva-kaili.html