On January 17, former congressman European Parliament (MEP) Italian Antonio Panzeri has reached an agreement with Belgian prosecutors who are investigating the case corruption “Qatargate,” allegedly related to this Middle Eastern country.
Belgian federal prosecutors say Panzeri signed a confession in exchange for jail time, fines and the confiscation of all of his criminal assets, estimated to be worth around 1 million euros.
The agreement comes a day following a Brescia court approved a request by Belgian prosecutors to extradite Panzeri’s daughter, Silvia, also involved in the scandal.
[Italy lại hoãn ra quyết định dẫn độ nghi can hối lộ vụ Qatargate]
Panzeri’s wife, Maria Dolores Colleoni, was also extradited to Belgium. The two cases will now be brought to the Court of Cassation.
Panzeri, who is serving time in prison in Belgium, and his wife and daughter are accused of being involved in the alleged bribery attempts by Morocco and Qatar.
The European arrest warrant for Panzeri’s wife and daughter says the former MP “appears to have developed and run… a large fraudulent organization”.
Duong Hoa (VNA/Vietnam+)
