The Belgian anti-corruption judge in charge of the so-called Qatargate case lifted Thursday the surveillance under electronic bracelet which was imposed on the Greek MEP Eva Kaili in Brussels, announced to AFP a spokesperson for the federal prosecution. Arrested in December in the Belgian capital during a wave of searches, Eva Kaili had been released from prison in mid-April, but assigned to residence under electronic bracelet.
A measure that “is no longer necessary for the rest of the investigation”
This measure “is no longer necessary for the rest of the investigation” and it is now free under judicial supervision, said spokesperson Eric Van Duyse. Two other suspects in this case of alleged corruption within the European Parliament have already benefited this month from the lifting of this measure of surveillance at home.
They are the Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella, who like Eva Kaili proclaims his innocence, and Francesco Giorgi, companion of the Greek elected representative and former parliamentary assistant to Pier Antonio Panzeri. The latter, a former Italian MEP (2004-2019), who is the central figure in the case, remains placed under an electronic bracelet, one of the methods of preventive detention in Belgium.
At least six suspects charged
In this case of alleged corruption for the benefit of Qatar and Morocco, at least six suspects have been charged, suspected in particular of participation in a criminal organization and money laundering. The scandal erupted in December when Belgian investigators seized during searches in Brussels – in particular at the homes of Eva Kaili and Pier Antonio Panzeri – about 1.5 million euros in small notes distributed in suitcases or bags.
The investigating judge in charge of the investigation, Michel Claise, suspects cash payments made in exchange for political decisions or positions favorable to Qatar and Morocco in the European Parliament, which Doha and Rabat have firmly denied. Eva Kaili, 44, was one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament before the scandal broke. Like Marc Tarabella, she was a member of the Socialists and Democrats group, from which she was expelled. The terms of his judicial review have not been specified.