Former Vice President of the European Parliament Eva Kaili arrives home in Brussels after leaving Haren prison on April 14, 2023.
The vice-presidet of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, the main person involved in the corruption scandal known as ‘Catargate’, received the power to remove the suspects and end the house arrest, the Belgian prosecutor’s office told AFP on Thursday.
The 44-year-old Greek Social Democrats MEP was arrested in December by Belgian police as part of an investigation into an influence and corruption scandal in the European Legislature, although he was detained at home in April.
Kaili denies all the charges against her.
According to a spokesperson for the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office, the investigating judge has decided that it is “no longer necessary” to monitor Kaili’s movements while a full investigation into the case continues.
The scandal arose in December 2022 when the legislators promoted the existence of a network of distribution services for the interests of Qatar and, according to urgent complaints – Morocco was revealed, although the two countries deny any participation in the case.
Research suggests that former Belgian MEP Antonio Panzeri – who negotiated cooperation with local authorities in exchange for a less severe sanction – was the one who ran the network of distribution and payment services.
Euro-Belgian legislator Marc Tarabella and Kaili member, Italian parliamentary adviser Francesco Georgi, were also arrested in this case.
At the time of the arrest of these four men, the Belgian police reported that they had stolen around one and a half million in cash, hidden in suitcases and pockets.
Kaili lost his position as vice-president of the European Parliament and, although he remained an MEP, his parliamentary immunity was stripped so that he could be prosecuted for this scandal.
