It has long been suspected that Qatar’s World Cup bid involved a lot of brown envelopes, and a dramatic turn of events on Tuesday seems to confirm this.
Former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, a currently detained prime suspect, has agreed to cooperate with the Belgian judiciary and share his knowledge of this alleged corruption scandal in favor of Qatar.
Mr Panzeri is at the heart of Qatargate, a corruption scandal that has rocked the European Parliament since the autumn and broke out in earnest on December 9, when searches began.
The former socialist-elect, according to the agreement, pledged to inform investigators about the modus operandi of the fraud, the financial arrangements with third countries, the identities of people “he suspects he has corrupted” and the possible involvement of people “not yet” in the file known”.
In exchange for this cooperation, the ex-MP, who became head of the Brussels-based NGO Fight Impunity in 2019, will be sentenced to a “limited” prison sentence.
search wave
His attorney, Laurent Kennes, told AFP that the sentence, negotiated with prosecutors, would not exceed one year. “The sentence is five years imprisonment, but pardon for the portion exceeding one year. That means he will spend a year in detention, part of that under an electronic bracelet,” Me Kennes said.
This draft contract still has to be validated by the Chamber of Council, the court responsible for overseeing the investigations in Belgium.
Pier Antonio Panzeri, 67, was arrested in Brussels on December 9, the day of a wave of searches and arrests that also ended with a European Parliament vice-president, Greek Socialist-elected Eva Kaili, being found imprisoned.
The same scenario for the parliamentary assistant Francesco Giorgi, companion of Ms. Kaili, and for Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, another NGO manager, also Italian.
corruption
The case is big. The four suspects, who have been detained for more than five weeks, are all charged with membership of a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption.
They are suspected of raising large sums of money from Qatar to influence policy statements and decisions within the EU’s only elected body, particularly on workers’ rights, in favor of the emirate.
Morocco was also mentioned in this survey. According to the press, the Kingdom of Cherifian used Mr Panzeri as an entry point to represent its interests in the European Parliament. Both Qatar and Morocco have firmly denied these allegations.
Mr. Panzeri is a central figure in the investigation. During the December 9 raid, Belgian police discovered €600,000 (CA$803,109) in cash at his home in Brussels, according to a court source.
He must now explain the origin of these funds and the exact object of the corruption.
Other corrupt
Marc Tarabella, a Belgian socialist MEP, is fighting to stay off the “corrupt” list. His lawyer Maxim Töller again fiercely denied on Tuesday that he could be part of the lot. The judiciary has requested the lifting of the immunity that protects him.
“Whether it was a gift or money, Mr. Tarabella did not receive anything,” the lawyer told AFP, assuring that Mr. Panzeri’s statements to investigators, quoted by the newspaper L’Écho, indicated that he allegedly paid the Belgian “between 120,000 euros”. (CA$160,621) and 140,000 euros (CA$187,392)” were incorrect.
Mr Tarabella’s home in the Liege region was searched on December 10 as part of the investigation but no cash was found.
However, his lawyer admitted on Sunday that Mr Tarabella had made a trip to Qatar in 2020, which he did not specify.
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