EU Parliament arrests spark calls for tighter controls over bloc’s MPs

BRUSSELS - The arrest of a European Parliament vice-president and four others linked to a corruption probe implicating World Cup host Qatar sparked calls on Saturday for the bloc’s MPs to be held to higher standards.

“This is not an isolated incident,” said anti-corruption campaigning group Transparency International.

Its director Michiel van Hulten called for reforms, and said: “Over many decades, the Parliament has allowed a culture of impunity to develop, with a combination of lax financial rules and controls, and a complete lack of independent (or indeed any) ethics oversight.“

“In many ways, it has become a law unto itself,” added Mr van Hulten, urging “root and branch” reform.

“Every serious attempt to improve accountability is blocked by the Parliament’s ruling bureau, with the acquiescence of a majority of MEPs,” he added.

Left-wing French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Manon Aubry condemned Qatar’s “aggressive lobbying” and demanded a parliamentary debate on the Gulf state.

Police arrested Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili on Friday, hours after the four others were detained for questioning. At least three were either Italian citizens or originally from Italy, a source told AFP.

Ms Kaili, 44, is one of the European Parliament’s 14 vice-presidents, and, according to the source, the partner of one of the four, Mr Francesco Giorgi, a parliamentary assistant with the European Parliament’s Socialists and Democrats group.

Former Italian MEP Pier-Antonio Panzeri, 67, a socialist in the Parliament between 2004 and 2019, was also reportedly arrested. He currently heads a Brussels-based human rights organisation called Fight Impunity.

Secretary-general of the International Trade Union Confederation, Italian Luca Visentini, 53, was also reportedly arrested. The confederation said it was aware of the media reports.

All five were still being questioned on Saturday, said a spokesman for Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office.

The investigation concerns corruption and money laundering, the prosecutor said.

In Rome, press agencies said Mr Panzeri’s wife and daughter have been arrested in Italy.

The arrests came after a series of raids in Brussels which Belgian prosecutors said turned up €600,000 (S$850,000) in cash.

Police also seized computers and mobile phones in the investigation into a Gulf state suspected of influencing the decisions of the European Parliament through cash payments or gifts to top figures in the EU assembly.

Belgian daily L’Echo reported on Saturday that “several bags full of (money) notes” had been found at Ms Kaili’s Brussels home, which police decided to search after her father was caught carrying a large amount of cash in a suitcase.

While prosecutors did not name the country under investigation, a legal source close to the case confirmed to AFP Belgian press reports that it was Qatar.

In Athens, the president of the Greek socialist movement Pasok, Mr Nikos Androulakis, announced on Twitter that Ms Kaili had been expelled from the party.

“There is pressure within the party for Kaili to leave her seat at the European Parliament,” a member of the party told AFP.

“For the moment, she does not wish to give up her seat as she knows it would imply losing her parliamentary immunity,” a second source said.

In November, just prior to the World Cup, Ms Kaili, a former television presenter, met Qatar’s Labour Minister, Mr Ali bin Samikh Al Marri.

In a video statement posted on Twitter by Qatar News Agency, she said: “I believe the World Cup for Arabs has been a great tool for... political transformation and reforms.”

The Parliament recognised and respected Qatar’s progress in labour reforms, she added.

She made similar comments during a speech at the assembly later in November, accusing some MEPs of bullying Qatar and accusing them of corruption.

A Qatari official told AFP: “We are not aware of any details of an investigation. Any claims of misconduct by the State of Qatar are gravely misinformed.” The country operates in full compliance with international laws, he added.

World Cup host Qatar has strived to improve its image in the face of criticism over its record on worker protections and human rights.

Mr Visentini said he welcomed progress made by Qatar on worker rights, but insisted that pressure had to be maintained once the football tournament is over.

Migrant workers make up more than 2.5 million of Qatar’s 2.9 million population.

Doha has implemented reforms to its migrant labour system, but critics insist more work needs to be done to secure long-term impact. AFP