For all, it is a first relief. Tuesday, December 13, by an overwhelming majority, the European Parliament decided to put an end to the functions of vice-president of the Greek socialist Eva Kaili after her arrest and her imprisonment for acts of corruption. The elected, imprisoned since Sunday in Belgium, is suspected of having been paid by Qatar to defend the interests of the emirate which currently hosts the World Cup. His lawyer, Mr.e Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, assured Greek television that she had not accepted any “Qatar bribe”.
Three other people, former socialist MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, parliamentary assistant Francesco Giorgi and head of the NGO No Peace Without Justice, Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, all linked in one way or another to the social group Democrat (S&D) in the European Parliament, are also imprisoned or have been placed under house arrest. In total, the Belgian federal police seized 1.5 million euros during searches in Brussels and Strasbourg and they were investigating on Tuesday in a dozen offices of parliamentary assistants and in the office of the sub-committee on human rights. ‘man.
“This scandal dismays us”affirmed Iratxe Garcia Perez, the president of the S&D group, before promising: “Our commitment to transparency is absolute! Our commitment to representing and serving European citizens is clear and will not be tainted by the criminal behavior of some. » This firm tone delights Raphaël Glucksmann, co-chair of the French S&D delegation. “Now it’s time to clean the stables of Augeans, said the chosen one. If we want to fight against corruption, we have to go harder and set an example in our own group and outside the group by launching a commission of inquiry to shed light on this story. »
Four deputies suspended
Behind the scenes, between S&D MPs, the debate was extremely tense. On Monday, the group’s elected officials met behind closed doors. “It was a moment of tension, quite normal after such a shock. It was necessary to speak, to free the word”, slips Javier Moreno, the boss of the Spanish delegation. A catharsis. While the Italian deputies were very discreet and everyone looked at each other a little like a faience dog, the elected representatives from northern Europe, Germany and Austria stepped up to the plate, ulcerated, reports a witness. Everything is there: the mode of operation of the group, the non-existent procedures for filling certain posts, the control of the voting lists, which allow the deputies to know, when they are not familiar with a subject, which amendment to vote or reject in plenary votes.
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