All but one suspect in the alleged corruption case at the European Parliament has been released from house arrest as Belgium’s investigation into the ‘Qatargate’ scandal enters a new phase.
Former vice-president of the European Parliament Eva Kaili will be released from house arrest and electronic surveillance, Belgian federal prosecutors said on Thursday.
Eric Van Duyse, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said this means that “the case has progressed to the point where detention is no longer warranted” and there is no risk of escape, evidence tampering or collusion with other suspects .
Kaili, who was arrested in December, spent four months in Belgian prison and was released under house arrest on April 14 with an electronic tag. Her time in a Brussels prison cell, where she saw her two-year-old daughter twice a month, was also described as “torture” by her lawyer, who had filed a complaint about the “inhuman” conditions she endured while in detention.
Kaili has maintained her innocence. She remains a suspect and may therefore be called for questioning and may need permission to leave Belgium, Van Duyse said.
Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, Kaili’s lawyer, welcomed her release and said she plans to request a return to her duties as Vice-President of the European Parliament. Parliament stripped her of her posts after her arrest.
After a months-long stay that included placing surveillance cameras at the home of prime suspect Pier Antonio Panzeri, Belgian police conducted unprecedented raids on the homes and offices of EU lawmakers in December, arresting Kaili and her partner Francesco Giorgi, Panzeri’s former assistant .
Belgian authorities seized €1.5 million worth of cash and accused the trio and another suspect, who have since been released, of money laundering and involvement in an organized crime group that allegedly took bribes from Morocco and Qatar to influence EU affairs. to take legislation. The two countries have denied any wrongdoing.
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But investigations into the unprecedented corruption case appear to have slowed as all suspects except Panzeri have now been released.
Panzeri, himself a former EU lawmaker, struck a deal with Belgian prosecutors and confessed to the crimes in exchange for a reduced prison sentence. Giorgi also admitted part of his guilt and was released in February, while Kaili remained in prison. Panzeri was released under electronic surveillance in April and remains under house arrest, Van Duyse said.
MEP Marc Tarabella, another suspect arrested in February, was released from house arrest this month. Tarabella returned to work in Parliament this week, attending several committee meetings.