4 Charged Over Alleged EU Corruption, Bribery Campaign by ‘Gulf Country’: Belgian Prosecutor

Eva Kaili of the Social Democrats party PASOK looks on as the confidence vote takes place in the Greek parliament in Athens, Greece, on Nov. 4, 2011. (Vladimir Rys/Getty Images)

Belgium’s federal prosecutor has charged four people with money laundering, corruption, and participating in a criminal organization following an investigation into alleged attempts by a Gulf country to influence the European Union’s parliament with money and gifts.

The four unnamed individuals are among six taken to be questioned by Belgian police following raids that began across 16 properties in the capital city of Brussels on Dec. 9, officially international anti-corruption day.

Those raids—during which police reportedly seized computers, mobile phones, and €600,000 ($633,500) in cash—were the result of an investigation that started in mid-July 2022 regarding an alleged criminal organization infiltrating the EU parliament and attempting to interfere with political decisions.

Investigators “suspected a Gulf country (of influencing) the economic and political decisions of the European parliament,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Belgian media identified the Gulf country in question as Qatar, which has repeatedly come under fire over reports of alleged corruption, including claims that it bribed officials to host the 2022 World Cup. Qatar has denied such allegations.

Qataris gather at the capital Doha's traditional Souq Waqif market as the official logo of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is projected on the front of a building on Sept. 3, 2019. (AFP via Getty Images)

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Qatar’s foreign ministry denied any involvement by the country in a statement on Twitter on Dec. 11 and said it “rejects any attempts to associate it with accusations of misconduct.”

“Any association of the Qatari government with the reported claims is baseless and gravely misinformed. The state of Qatar works through institution-to-institution engagement and operates in full compliance with international law and regulations,” the statement added.

EU Officials ‘Paid Large Sums of Money’

Emergency session of European parliament in progress in Brussels, Belgium, on march 1, 2022. (European Union/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

While authorities did not identify the individuals detained during the weekend raids, local media reported that at least one is a member of the European Parliament and another is a former EU lawmaker.

“It is suspected that third parties in political and/or strategic positions within the European Parliament were paid large sums of money or offered substantial gifts to influence Parliament’s decisions,” Belgium’s prosecutor said in a statement.

“Four individuals have been arrested by the Brussels investigating judge who’s leading the investigation. They are charged with participation in a criminal organization, money laundering, and corruption. Two persons have been released by the investigating judge.”

European Parliament vice-president Eva Kaili, who is a member of the Greek Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), was said to be among those detained and charged.

In November, Kaili praised Qatar for being a “frontrunner in labor rights,” abolishing kafala (the sponsorship system of immigrants), and reducing minimum wage. She took aim at EU members who she accused of “bullying” Qatar and accusing “everyone that talks to them or engages [with them] of corruption.”

In a statement on Dec. 10, the Socialists and Democrats Group said the party had suspended Kaili, effective immediately, in response to the ongoing investigations.

“We are appalled by the allegations of corruption in the European institutions. The S&D Group has zero tolerance for corruption. We are the first to support a thorough investigation and full disclosure. We will fully cooperate with all investigating authorities. In this spirit, we will not publicly comment on ongoing judicial proceedings,” it said.

‘Money Must Not Buy Influence in EU’

The wife and daughter of former EU lawmaker Pier-Antonio Panzeri were also allegedly detained as part of the investigation, according to local reports. One of their lawyers, Angelo Giovanni de Riso, said they were innocent.

Panzeri has since been suspended by his social-democratic political party, Article One, according to reports.

The prosecutor also claimed that the home of a second EU lawmaker, Roberta Metsola, was searched over the weekends as part of the alleged corruption probe.

A spokesperson for Metsola, who is President of the European Parliament, said she flew back to Brussels from her home in Malta to be present during the house search, as required under Belgium law.

“The European Parliament and President Metsola stand firmly against corruption, and are actively and fully cooperating with law enforcement and judicial authorities to assist the course of justice,” her spokesman said.

Daniel Freund, the co-chair of the European parliament’s anti-corruption intergroup, said in a statement on Dec. 10 that the allegations, if confirmed, would be one of the most serious corruption scandals in the EU Parliament in recent decades.

“Money must not buy influence in the EU. The suspicion alone is intolerable. The accusations must be fully investigated. There is a threat of a loss of confidence in the European Parliament although it is actually one of the most transparent Parliaments in Europe,” Freund, an MEP, said.

The Epoch Times has contacted the EU parliament’s press office for comment.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.