Panzeri cooperates with the judiciary
Detention shortened for masterminds in EU corruption scandal
01/17/2023, 8:27 p.m
Former MEP Panzeri is a key figure in the bribery scandal surrounding the EEU Parliament. In order to reduce his prison sentence, he is now giving the Belgian public prosecutor the names of his former allies, who benefit from arrangements with third countries.
In the EU corruption scandal, the suspected mastermind Pier Antonio Panzeri has promised comprehensive cooperation with the Belgian judiciary. As the responsible public prosecutor’s office in Brussels announced, the former MEP signed a corresponding agreement. In return, his sentence will be reduced. The authority itself spoke of an “important development”.
The Italian Panzeri is considered a key player in the scandal that Belgian investigators uncovered in December. It is about alleged influence from Qatar and Morocco on political decisions of the European Parliament. In addition to Panzeri, the focus was also on former Vice President Eva Kaili and her partner, who worked as an assistant to a member of parliament. They are charged with involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption. They are all in custody.
According to prosecutors, Panzeri signed the agreement in the presence of his lawyer. The authority called the 67-year-old one of the “key figures” in the case. Panzeri has undertaken to provide the investigators with comprehensive insights into the criminal structures. According to the information, this includes the names of those who were bribed, the promised benefits and financial arrangements with other countries. In return, he only has to spend a short time in prison and pay a fine. In addition, his entire acquired assets, which are currently estimated at one million euros, are to be confiscated.
Metsola announces first reforms
The public prosecutor had previously announced that Panzeri had withdrawn his appeal against the pre-trial detention imposed in December. Panzeri sat for the Social Democrats in the European Parliament from 2004 to 2019. Most recently, he headed the non-governmental organization Fight Impunity, which is also the focus of Belgian investigators.
During searches in December, investigators found hundreds of thousands of euros in cash on him. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the so-called Pentiti law has now been applied. The name refers to the Italian law on leniency in mafia investigations. A confessor undertakes to provide “substantial, informative, truthful and complete information” about the involvement of third parties and his own involvement.
The revelations by the Belgian judiciary on December 9th shook Parliament deeply. President Roberta Metsola announced the first reforms on Monday that are intended to make parliament more transparent and less prone to corruption. These include stricter rules for former MPs who want to lobby in the European Parliament. In the future, all meetings of MPs with third parties that are related to a report or a resolution should also be made public. After the allegations by the Belgian investigators became public, parliament almost unanimously removed the Greek social democrat Kaili as vice president in December. Her successor will be decided on Wednesday.