Greece’s Independent Anti-Money Laundering Authority announced on Monday 12 December that it would freeze all the assets of Greek Vice-President of the European Parliament Eva Kaili, imprisoned in Brussels for her alleged involvement in a resounding corruption scandal linked to Qatar.
The measure which targets the elected, dismissed from the Greek socialist party Pasok-Kinal following this affair, concerns “bank accounts, safes, companies and any other financial assets”, according to the president of the authority, Charalampos Vourliotis, quoted by a member of the same organization. The Greek banking establishments and the competent State services have already been informed of this measure by the Independent Authority against money laundering, according to Mr. Vourliotis.
The asset freeze also affects Ms. Kaili’s close family members, such as her parents, according to the same source. In the crosshairs of the authority is also a real estate company recently established in the chic Athens district of Kolonaki, which would have been created by the 44-year-old MEP and her Italian companion, also imprisoned in Belgium.
Mme Kaili and three others, including a former Italian MEP, were charged and detained on Sunday, as part of an investigation by a Belgian judge into suspected payments by Qatar to influence decisions in parliament European. Of the “bags of tickets” were found in the apartment of Mme Kaili, according to a judicial source. The case is to be discussed on Monday at a meeting of the presidents of the political groups of the European Parliament, at the opening of the plenary session organized in Strasbourg.
“Serious accusations”
A little earlier, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, judged on Monday “very worrying” them “serious accusations” brought against Eva Kaili. “An investigation is underway and we are following it”he specified. “This is a scandal we need to get the truth out about so we can make sure it doesn’t happen againadded the head of Irish diplomacy, Simon Coveney. A full and transparent investigation must be carried out in order to obtain an explanation of what happened. “This is truly an incredible incident which must now be elucidated unequivocally and with all the rigor of the law, because it is also and above all about the credibility of Europe”said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
The affair broke out in the middle of the 2022 World Cup, while the organizing country must make efforts to defend its decried reputation for respect for human rights, in particular those of workers. Eva Kaili, 44-year-old former television presenter, elected in January 2022 to one of the vice-presidencies of the European Parliament, went to Qatar in early November, where she welcomed the reforms in the presence of the Qatari labor minister. of the emirate in this sector.