– The WC in Qatar is actually proof of how sports diplomacy can achieve historic changes in a country. Qatar is a leading country in relation to labor rights. That’s what one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament, Greek Eva Kaili, told the assembly the day after the football World Cup started. According to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, Kaili is one of six high-ranking politicians who were arrested at the weekend. She is suspected of having received bribes from Qatar in what is being described as one of the most serious cases of corruption in the European Parliament in many years. – The EU Parliament is under attack. European democracy is under attack, commented the president of the EU Parliament, Roberta Metsola, on Monday afternoon. TEST: President of the EU Parliament, Roberta Metsola says the corruption scandal is a test for the organisation’s values and systems, and promises to ask for more transparency around the members’ meetings with foreign actors. Photo: Jean-Francois Badias / AP Metsola also says that none of those responsible for corruption will be shielded. Three other people have also been arrested, while a further two were arrested and later released. Among them are high-ranking politicians in Europe. The police are said to have seized 600,000 euros (around NOK 6.3 million) in connection with the investigation. This is stated in a press release from the Belgian public prosecutor. In addition, Belgian police have carried out dozens of searches since Friday. The authorities in Qatar have denied that they have anything to do with the case. – Any interference by the Qatari authorities in connection with these allegations is baseless and seriously misinformed, they write in a statement according to the Financial Times. Kaili has not yet commented on the matter. Found suitcase and bags of cash We rewind a few weeks, to the discussion in the European Parliament at the end of November. There they passed a resolution condemning Fifa and Qatar for human rights violations and urging countries to put pressure on Fifa. But the debate before the resolution was heated. Kaili was one of several who defended Qatar. – Several people here think we should discriminate against them (Qatar, editor’s note). They bully them and accuse anyone who talks to them of corruption, Kaili said. Eva Kaili (second from left) on a visit to Qatar together with the EU’s ambassador to the golf country. Photo: Christian Tudor / EU ambassador in Qatar On Friday, she will therefore have been arrested, suspected of precisely corruption, writes Le Soir. Members of the European Parliament were actually going to visit Qatar at the turn of October/November. The trip was canceled at the last minute, but Kaili traveled anyway. There she spoke with the Minister of Labour, among other things. According to Qatar’s news agency, QNA, she boasted of the reforms in Qatar and said she was speaking on behalf of 500 million Europeans who followed the positive developments in Qatar with great interest. VISIT: Kaili visited the Qatari Minister of Labor at the minister’s office at the end of October. Photo: TWITTER/MINISTRY OF LABOR – STA / Reuters Kaili is now temporarily suspended from his position as vice-president of the European Parliament, writes Euronews. The same website writes that bags and a briefcase with cash were allegedly found when the police searched her home. These claims have not been confirmed by open sources. The Greek authorities have on Monday frozen all of Kaili’s assets in the country as a result of her being charged with corruption. The punitive measure, which also applies to Kaili’s relatives, means, among other things, that bank accounts, safes, companies and other financial assets will be frozen, says a statement, according to NTB. – Was offered substantial gifts At the weekend, the police in Belgium swooped in. They conducted 16 searches and arrested several people for, among other things, corruption and money laundering, according to Politico. – Although this may be the most serious case of alleged corruption the European Parliament has seen in many years, it is not an isolated incident. Over many decades, parliament has allowed a culture of impunity to develop, with a combination of lax financial rules and controls and a complete lack of independent ethical oversight, says Director of Transparency International, Michiel van Hulten. Belgian police are investigating the case. – We suspect that third parties in political and/or strategic positions in the European Parliament were paid large sums or offered significant gifts to influence the Parliament’s decision, they write in a press release. CONCERNED: EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell is concerned about the state of affairs in the EU parliament. Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP The head of foreign affairs in the EU, Josep Borell, says the matter is serious. – This is disturbing news. We are facing some events that worry me as a former President of the European Parliament. It is a police investigation that we must follow and comply with, but we are very worried, says Borell.
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Eva Kaili arrested on suspicion of Qatar corruption – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
