A weighty European parliamentary committee votes unanimously in favor of stripping the immunity of European parliamentarians who are being investigated over the bribery scandal in the European Parliament, paving the way for a vote on the recommendation during a plenary session of Parliament on Thursday.
On Tuesday (January 31, 2023), a weighty European parliamentary committee unanimously supported lifting the immunity of two deputies involved in a corruption scandal that rocked the European Union and left its misguidance on the rest of the European Union institutions. Prosecutors in Brussels have urged lawmakers to strip the immunity of Belgian MEP Marc Tararabella and Italian lawmaker Andrea Cozzoli as part of an investigation into allegations of bribery from Qatar and Morocco.
The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee voted unanimously in favor of stripping immunity, paving the way for a vote on the recommendation during a plenary session of Parliament on Thursday.
It is noteworthy that the Belgian authorities arrested four suspects following searches in a number of places in December, including those belonging to current and former legislators and parliamentary assistants, which led to the seizure of 1.5 million euros in cash ($ 1.6 million).
Among the detainees, who were accused of corruption, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organization, was the Greek deputy in the European Union, Eva Kaili, who was one of the 14 deputy speakers of Parliament, and she was removed from this position.
The other three arrested are: her friend Francesco Georgi who was a parliamentary aide, former deputy Pierre Antonio Panziri who founded a non-governmental organization that deals with Parliament, and Nicolo Vega Talamanca, the head of another NGO that has the same address as Panziri. And all three are Italian.
Belgium suspects they were involved in a bribery plot in which Qatar and Morocco transferred funds through non-governmental organizations to influence decisions of the European Parliament, while Doha and Rabat deny any wrongdoing.
“Justice moves forward,” Manon Aubry, a left-wing member of the Legal Affairs Committee, tweeted after the committee’s vote.
Tarabella’s house was among the places searched in December. Belgian investigators are demanding that Parliament strip him, along with Cozzolino, of immunity so that they can expand the investigation. Like Kylie, the two maintain their innocence. But Georgi, according to reports, made partial confessions.
Panziri entered into an agreement with prosecutors undertaking to provide evidence of bribes and related sums in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Source: DW News
