Qatargate, Explained
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A political scandal is currently underway in which politicians, political staffers, lobbyists, civil servants, and their families are suspected of engaging in corruption, money laundering, and organized crime with Morocco and Qatar in exchange for influence in the European Parliament.
As part of the investigation, law enforcement agencies in Belgium, Italy, and Greece seized €1.5 million in cash, confiscated computers, and phones, and charged four individuals with the alleged offenses.
In December 2022, the Belgian Federal Police's Central Office for the Repression of Corruption (OCRC) conducted 20 raids at 19 addresses in Brussels as part of an investigation into an alleged criminal organization.
Eight individuals were arrested in Belgium and Italy, including:
Eva Kaili, an MEP and Vice-President of the European Parliament;
Antonio Panzeri, a former Italian MEP;
Francesco Giorgi, Kaili's husband and advisor to Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino;
Alexandros Kailis, Kaili's father and former Greek politician;
Luca Visentini, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation;
Niccolò Figa-Talamanca, Secretary-General of the NGO No Peace Without Justice;
and an unnamed assistant to Italian MEP Alessandra Moretti.
The raids also targeted the offices and homes of four parliamentary assistants and one European Parliament official, but they were not arrested.
In addition, Italian authorities arrested Maria Colleoni, Panzeri's wife, and Silvia Panzeri, his daughter, in Italy.
Over €1.5 million in cash was found during the raids.
The people arrested face charges of corruption, money laundering, and organized crime involving Morocco and Qatar in exchange for influence at the European Parliament.
Four individuals charged in the case, Eva Kaili, Antonio Panzeri, Francesco Giorgi, and Niccolò Figà-Talamanca, were scheduled to appear in court on December 14 for arraignment proceedings.
However, due to a strike by prison staff, Kaili's appearance was rescheduled for December 22.
Panzeri and Giorgi were both detained, while Figà-Talamanca was released with electronic monitoring.
On December 15, Giorgi admitted to accepting bribes from Qatari officials in exchange for influencing the European Parliament's decisions.
After the arrests in the political corruption scandal involving Morocco and Qatar, strong reactions condemning Eva Kaili, the vice-president of the European Parliament, emerged from around the European Union.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, suspended Kaili's responsibilities and powers as a vice-president, and the European Parliament officially removed her from her position through a vote.
In response to the scandal, the European Parliament suspended all work with Qatar and called for an inquiry committee to be established. The vote on visa-free travel to Ecuador, Kuwait, and Oman was also canceled, and a major air transit agreement with Qatar was put on hold amid concerns of interference in the Parliament's internal deliberations.
The chair of the Parliamentary EU-Qatar Friendship Group suspended the group, and the European People's Party suspended all foreign policy work related to external matters until the integrity of the procedure could be ensured.
Several MEPs stepped down from positions within the Parliament, and the behavior of some MEPs regarding Qatar had already been the subject of criticism.
Annalena Baerbock, the German Minister for Foreign Affairs, expressed concern that the political corruption scandal involving Morocco and Qatar is causing citizens to doubt the credibility and legitimacy of the European Union's institutions.
European civil society organizations, such as Transparency International and the Good Lobby, also commented on the incident, with the Good Lobby stating that the scandal has revealed that "money does buy influence in the EU" and that the European Parliament has historically resisted stricter integrity rules.
The Qatari Mission to the European Union denied any involvement in the alleged misconduct, and Kaili has also denied any wrongdoing.
The European People's Party attempted to shift the focus of the scandal onto the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Group rather than the European Parliament as a whole.
That's all for this week. Thanks for reading Inshallah. Share this article and subscribe to be up to date about news from the Middle East every week. It's free.
About me
My name is Dario Sabaghi, a freelance journalist. I am interested in human rights and international news focusing on the MENA region.
Check out my work at dariosabaghi.com.
You can follow me on Twitter: @DarioSabaghi
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Cover photo: L’Espresso