Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Qatargate: Belgium asks EU Parliament to waive immunity of MEPs Tarabella, Cozzolino

Qatargate: Belgium asks EU Parliament to waive immunity of MEPs Tarabella, Cozzolino

If approved by all MEPs later this month, Belgian authorities will be able to be pursue charges against the Socialist lawmakers.

Belgian investigators asked the European Parliament to waive the immunity of two more MEPs suspected of wrongdoing amid a sprawling corruption scandal linked to alleged bribery by Qatar and Morocco.

Socialists & Democrats lawmakers Marc Tarabella, a Belgian MEP, and Andrea Cozzolino, an Italian, are those now being targeted, according to an EU official close to the matter, as well as an insider in the S&D group in the Parliament. Both spoke on condition of anonymity in order not to jeopardize the legal procedure. The Belgian prosecutor declined to provide comment.

The Parliament has vowed to crack down on corruption and illicit lobbying, deciding in December to establish a special committee to run in parallel with a probe by Belgian prosecutor Michel Claise. “There will be no impunity. None,” wrote European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Twitter.

This was a knowing nod to the NGO Fight Impunity, which former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri established in 2019 with his former assistant Francesco Giorgi, who has worked as Cozzolino’s assistant since 2019.

The immunity of Giorgi’s partner, Eva Kaili, formerly one of the Parliament’s 14 vice presidents, was automatically stripped away because she was considered to have been caught in the act of committing an offense. The Belgian prosecutor also found €150,000 in cash at her Brussels apartment after the scandal broke on December 9. Belgian authorities then arrested her and seized bags of cash in Brussels.

MEPs removed Kaili as a vice president last month and along with Giorgi, former MEP Panzeri and NGO boss Niccolò Figà-Talamanca, she is now facing preliminary charges of corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization.

The Parliament will officially kick start the lengthy procedure for removing legal protection for Tarabella and Cozzolino when MEPs next gather in Strasbourg on January 16. At that time, the Parliament’s legal affairs committee will give the two MEPs a chance to say their piece and rubber stamp the measure before handing it over to the entire plenary of lawmakers for a final vote, which will likely be an overwhelming majority.

The Socialists & Democrats group in Parliament said in a statement to POLITICO that its members would “follow, in the context of the European Parliament, the procedures foreseen in a responsible and constructive manner.”

In a separate statement shared with POLITICO, Tarabella’s lawyer Maxim Töller said the MEP would support the lifting of his immunity. “Since the beginning of this investigation, Marc Tarabella has repeated that he is at the disposal of the judiciary and has even asked to be questioned rapidly in order to defend himself. He has equally said that he would not hide behind his parliamentary immunity,” Töller wrote.

Metsola was present during a search that Belgian police conducted at Tarabella’s house on December 10, looking for potentially compromising material.

Tarabella has proclaimed his innocence. He is vice chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula and co-chair of the institution’s sports group — an important role in the leadup to Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup last year.

Cozzolino publicly asked for his immunity to be lifted and has also denied wrongdoing.

Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino belongs to the S&D group


Since the scandal broke, Cozzolino temporarily stood down as chair of a delegation for relations with Maghreb

countries and also stood back from his role as his group’s coordinator on drafting resolutions on human rights abuses outside the EU. At the time of publishing, he had not responded to POLITICO’s requests for comment.

“President Metsola will also set out her intentions for reforms in the coming weeks, including an overhaul of the current rules and improving internal systems, including on enforcement,” the Parliament said in a press statement. Metsola wants the immunity waiver to be wrapped up by mid-February.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×