Since the arrest of Kailis and other suspects last Friday, the European Parliament has been rocked by the massive corruption scandal. On Tuesday, the EU Parliament dismissed the Greek MEP as Vice President with an overwhelming majority. Kaili is suspected of having been paid by Qatar to defend its interests. According to Belgian judicial circles, 150,000 euros were found in her apartment in Brussels alone.
Kaili and three other suspects were taken into custody by Belgian authorities on Sunday. They are accused of “membership in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption”. A court hearing is scheduled to take place on Wednesday to decide whether they will remain in detention until their trial begins.
According to a report, in addition to Qatar, Morocco is apparently also involved in the corruption scandal. The arrested ex-EU MP Pier Antonio Panzeri is accused of having received money from Morocco, the “Spiegel” reported, citing internal documents of the Belgian investigators. Accordingly, two family members are said to have helped Panzeris to transport “gifts” that the Moroccan ambassador in an eastern EU country gave them.
Panzeri reportedly had official ties to Morocco during his time as an MEP, when he was chairman of the delegation for relations with the North African Maghreb countries.
