The secretary general of the International Confederation of Trade Unions, Luca Visentini, resigns from his post following corruption allegations.

Luca Visentini announces his resignation from the presidency of the summit just under a month after taking up the post of Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation (CIS).

According to SNL The ITUC is an international workers’ organization made up of several national unions. Its purpose is to promote the rights and interests of workers through international cooperation.

The National Organization in Norway (LO), Central Trade Union Confederation (YS) and Unio are affiliated to the ITUC.

Visentini resigns from his post after admitting he received thousands of euros in cash from former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri.

He reports Financial Times.

600,000 euros seized

Panzeri is accused of corruption in relation to the EU scandal. According to the British newspaper, he is the main figure in the ongoing investigation into whether people in the European Parliament have received bribes for illegal influence work.

Some sources say it is the Gulf state Qatar who is behind the bribes. Others point Morocco.

It was seized 600,000 euros in cash, when the Belgian police raided Panzeri’s home. This amounts to about NOK 6 million.

Saturday 10 December reported NTB extension that one of the 14 Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, was arrested the day before by the Belgian police. Like Panzeri, she too is accused of corruption.

Reject corruption

The outgoing general secretary of the ITUC, Luca Visentini, was arrested, but released after two days of detention, writes the Financial Times.

He is currently trying to clear his name, explaining the ins and outs of the cash sums in an official statement:

“I accepted a donation from Fight Impunity (Panzeri’s NGO), less than 50,000 euros, which would cover part of the cost of financing my campaign for the ITUC congress, and transferred the amount to the ITUC solidarity fund for pay for the union’s travel expenses (to Melbourne),” says Visentini.

In the statement, he added that he had accepted the monetary donation for Panzeri’s good reputation and that the sum of money was in no way connected to an attempt at bribery or intended to influence his views on Qatar.

Travel ban outside the EU

Visentini is not allowed to contact other suspects in the investigation and is forced to ask Belgian prosecutors for permission to travel outside the EU for the next three months.

Italian investigators are examining wire transfers made to and from Visentini’s bank accounts, as well as six other accounts linked to Panzeri and other suspects.

The Financial Times writes that according to people familiar with the investigation, no signs of wrongdoing by Visentini have so far been found.