Eva Kylie denies the allegations against her
A Qatari diplomat confirmed that the measures taken by the European Union regarding the alleged corruption case will have a negative impact on relations between the two sides, including talks on global energy security.
A statement from the Qatari mission to the European Union said Qatar strongly rejects allegations linking its government to misconduct.
The statement comes after the European Parliament halted work on Qatar-related legislation amid a scandal over allegations that a number of MPs received bribes from a Gulf state.
The accused MEPs denied any wrongdoing.
On Sunday, Qatar condemned a corruption probe in Belgium and suspended contacts with the European Parliament, saying it would have a “negative” impact on relations and natural gas supplies.
The Qatari statement identified criticism from Belgian authorities and confirmed that “inaccurate” information had been used.
Eva Kaili, a Greek MEP in the European Parliament, was one of six people arrested after raids in which at least €1.5 million in cash were found.
The allegations indicate that these funds are linked to a Gulf state, and last week the European Parliament suspended Qatari representatives from communicating with the European institution.
“The decision to impose such a discriminatory measure that limits dialogue and cooperation with Qatar before legal proceedings are concluded will negatively affect regional and global security cooperation, as well as ongoing talks on energy shortages global and security,” the Qatari diplomat told AFP.
“We resolutely reject allegations linking our government to misconduct,” the Qatari statement said.
The statement added, “Qatar was not the only entity whose name was mentioned in the investigation, yet our country was exclusively criticized and attacked.”
And the statement added: “This week we have been monitoring our country’s selective sentencing with great concern.”
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European Parliament in Brussels
Belgian investigators said they had been investigating corruption in the European Parliament for more than a year before raids and arrests over the past 10 days.
“It is very disappointing that the Belgian government made no effort to communicate with our government to find out the facts when it learned of the allegations,” the Qatari diplomat said.
However, the Qatari statement at the same time underlined Qatar’s “close” relationship with Belgium.
He said: “Our two countries have worked together during the Covid-19 pandemic and Qatar is a major LNG supplier to Belgium.”
Belgian authorities had arrested Eva Kylie, vice president of the European Parliament, in an investigation into allegations that she had received bribes from a Gulf state.
Belgian investigating authorities said the country, which was not explicitly named, tried to influence the European Parliament’s decision, both with money and gifts.
The European Parliament had decided to strip Kylie of her powers as one of the 14 vice-presidents of the European Parliament, after 625 MEPs voted in favor of the decision, in light of the allegations against her.
However, Kylie denied the accusation that she had received a bribe from the State of Qatar, which currently hosts the World Cup, with the aim of strengthening the latter’s relations with the countries of the European Union. You stressed that the relationship was naturally coming in light of Europe’s relentless attempts to move away from dependence on Russia in the energy field.
