EU leader Eva Kaili must remain in prison. A strike by the judicial staff prevents a decision being made on the continuation of their detention. Meanwhile, Belgian investigators show the cash confiscated in the corruption scandal: 1.5 million euros.
The decision on further custody for the European politician Eva Kaili, who is suspected of corruption, has been postponed to Thursday next week. The reason for this is a strike in the prison where Kaili is being held, as her lawyer André Risopoulos told the Belgian newspaper “L’Echo”. That is why she could not be taken to the Brussels Palace of Justice. Kaili remains in custody for the time being.
The 44-year-old Greek woman is one of six suspects arrested in Belgium on Friday in the corruption scandal involving the European Parliament. The Belgian judiciary issued arrest warrants against her and three others on Sunday. The suspects are accused of involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption. It is said that the Gulf Emirate of Qatar, which is currently hosting the soccer World Cup, tried to influence political decisions in the European Parliament with gifts of money and goods. Kaili has since been removed as Vice President of the European Parliament. Through her lawyer, she protested her innocence and charged her partner Francesco Giorgi, who was also imprisoned. He could provide information about the large sums of money found in her apartment.
The Belgian police announced on Twitter that almost 1.5 million euros had been confiscated during house searches in the Brussels region. In addition, she posted several photos showing, among other things, a trolley case and several briefcases full of banknotes and several stacks of banknotes.
In a debate on the corruption scandal, parliamentarians across factions expressed their horror. At the same time, a number of MPs called for reforms to the parliament’s transparency and lobbying rules. Parliamentarians are currently working on a widely supported resolution that will set out the next steps. It is to be adopted by the plenary on Thursday.
“While many people struggle to carry home essential groceries in their bags, a rapacious group of MPs and staff of this House are lugging suitcases full of bribes – this is the image that will remain of this shocking scandal,” said about left-wing parliamentary group leader Martin Schirdewan. The leader of the Social Democrats, of which Kaili was previously a member, promised that her group would launch an investigation into the revelations. At the same time, however, Iratxe García Pérez also emphasized: “The criminal acts cannot call into question the good work of the MPs every day.”
