- Elsa Mishmann
- BBC news
Four people have been charged in an investigation suspected of receiving bribes from a member of the European Parliament and employees of the European institution from a Gulf state, Qatar said.
Greek MEP and Vice-President of the European Parliament, Eva Kayli, was among those previously arrested in the case.
Prosecutors suspect the Gulf state of trying to influence parliamentary decisions with donations or financial gifts.
Local media reported that the accused country was Qatar, which the Qatari government denied.
Watchdogs and opposition MPs said the case could be one of the biggest corruption scandals the European Parliament has ever seen.
Kayli, one of the 14 elected vice-presidents, was suspended from the Socialists and Democrats group in Parliament and expelled from the Greek Socialist Party – Pazuk.
Belgian police seized cash worth around 600,000 euros ($632,000) in 16 searches in Brussels on Friday. Computers and mobile phones were also seized to verify their contents.
A total of six people were detained for questioning, while two of them were released.
“The investigating judge in Brussels who is conducting the investigation has arrested four people,” the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
“They are accused of participation in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption. The investigating judge has released two people,” he added.
The prosecutor said that the investigators suspected that a Gulf country had been influencing Parliament’s economic and political decisions for several months, especially by targeting its collaborators.
Local media reported that the suspected Gulf state was Qatar.
“We are not aware of any details of an investigation. Any allegations of misconduct by the state of Qatar are seriously misleading,” a Qatari government spokesman told AFP.
He added that the country “acts in full compliance with international laws and regulations”.
A European Parliament spokesman told Reuters he would not comment on the ongoing investigation but would cooperate with local authorities if necessary.
Kylie’s responsibilities as Vice President, Middle East include. You were defender of Qatar in the past.
In a speech he gave last month on the issue of human rights and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he described Qatar as “a pioneer in the field of workers’ rights” by abolishing the sponsorship system, a legal procedure followed in many Gulf states that human rights groups liken to modern day slavery.
“The World Cup in Qatar is, indeed, proof that sports diplomacy can bring about historic transformation in a country whose reforms have inspired the Arab world,” he said.
Kylie accused some members of the European Parliament of bullying and discriminating against Qatar, adding: “They accuse everyone who talks to Qatar of corruption.”
Qatar has previously been accused of corruption, including in its bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The country has denied these allegations and FIFA has cleared it of corruption.
