The European Parliament yesterday dismissed a Greek legislator arrested for apparent receipt of bribes from the post of vice-president, in a strong reaction to restore credibility, seriously affected by the scandal.
The plenary approved by 625 votes in favor and just one against and two abstentions the dismissal of the Greek social democrat Eva Kaili from the post of vice-president, in a forceful response from the plenary to the case.
Kaili’s removal had been recommended to the plenary by the Conference of Presidents, the group made up of the head of Parliament and the leaders of the different political blocs.
The press service of the European Parliament announced that the vote that decided to dismiss Kaili was based on internal regulations and occurred “in the context of investigations in Belgium involving members and staff” of that legislative institution.
An investigation opened by the Belgian prosecutor’s office led to the arrest and indictment of Kaili and three other people on suspicion of receiving large sums of money from a “Persian Gulf State”, which would be Qatar, to defend interests in Parliament.
The 44-year-old MEP was arrested after Belgian investigators found bags full of cash at her residence, although her lawyer says Kaili did not accept any “Qatar bribes”.
“His position is that he is innocent. He has nothing to do with the Qatari bribes,” lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos told a Greek television network, Open TV.
“He did not know”
The Greek MEP “did not know of the existence of the money” found in her home, lawyer Dimitrakopoulos told AFP.
She “has no relationship with the money found in her house (…) she did not know the existence of that money,” she added.
The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office announced on Monday that in raids carried out in three different places it seized a significant amount of cash.
According to that source, 600,000 euros (about $630,000) were found in the house of former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri; 150,000 euros in Kaili’s apartment, and 750,000 in a suitcase in a hotel room hired by the deputy’s father.
Police also raided an office of the European Parliament in Brussels to seize computer data from a dozen officials.
Reform and transparency
The scandal represents a brutal blow to the credibility of the European Parliament, which often takes the initiative in denouncing corruption cases.
For this reason, the president of the parliament, the Maltese conservative Roberta Metsola, expressed her “fury, anger and sadness” over the case, and warned that what happened represents an “attack” on the entire legislature and on European democracy.
“We will launch a reform process to see who has access to our facilities, how these organizations, NGOs and individuals are financed, what links they have with third countries,” Metsola promised on Monday. “We will ask for more transparency in meetings with foreign actors,” she added.
Yesterday, Metsola and the heads of the different blocs announced the start of an internal reform process in Parliament to “ensure that transparency and accountability are strengthened.”
