2023-09-19 15:11:00
As La Libre revealed on August 30, the main parties concerned by the so-called Qatargate affair – concerning alleged acts of corruption within the European Parliament – met at the Brussels courthouse on September 19. It was more precisely in front of the indictments chamber that the lawyers had an appointment for a hearing where it was a question of monitoring the regularity of the investigation procedure.
Sven Mary and Christophe Marchand, the lawyers of Greek MEP Eva Kaili, are behind this request for control. They believe that their client’s parliamentary immunity was violated from the opening of the investigation. They also target the repentant status granted to the alleged mastermind of the case, Antonio Panzeri. Their request is simple: that the indictment chamber declare, purely and simply, the inadmissibility of the prosecution.
No legal decision was to be made following the hearing. The aim of the latter was to hear each of the parties concerned, then to set up a timetable for exchanging arguments. According to the noises escaping from the corridors of the Brussels courthouse, Eva Kaili’s two lawyers might well be successful in their request.
But you will have to be patient. The next hearing will not take place before… May 2024. This is a “bridge date”, which should make it possible to say when the pleadings will take place, probably at the next start of the legal year.
With Claise’s turn
”They said we had to get things done as quickly as possible. But, there, the case is a little paralyzed,” Eva Kaili’s lawyers simply commented.
The defense of MEP Marc Tarabella – also mired in this affair – prefers, for its part, to discuss the rest of the procedure. “We are in favor of the request aimed at controlling the regularity of the instruction, to guarantee full compliance with the law. We are also requesting an in-depth verification of the regularity of each element of this file. Furthermore, it is obvious that the question of the repentance procedure must be addressed. Procedure which, in our opinion, was clearly applied in disregard of respect for the law, which poses a legal problem and which prevented Mr. Tarabella from defending himself on equal terms. It is high time to shed light on what was promised to this surprising repentant.”
We also learn that the federal prosecutor’s office has requested the extent of the referral for control of the regularity of the procedure. Thus, all investigative acts carried out (and those which were not) by investigating judge Michel Claise will be controlled. As a reminder, Judge Claise himself removed himself from the case in June. Maxim Toller, Marc Tarabella’s lawyer, suspected him of conflicts of interest since his son and that of Marie Arena (whose name is also mentioned in the file) are partners in a company.
Should Michel Claise be worried? “If I were him, I would be a little worried, yes,” replies a source. He always said that every legal action he took was justified, and therefore, he was covered. Obviously, this is no longer the case. Today, it’s a bit as if the federal prosecutor’s office was trying to turn once morest him, to clear himself of all this hodgepodge.”
But according to another interlocutor, Judge Claise has nothing to fear since he has not done anything criminally reprehensible. “The fact that certain tracks may have been deliberately abandoned is nothing illegal. But this is mainly what he is criticized for. After all, an investigating judge is sovereign. I believe he is above the fray, you have to believe it”.
Continuation and end ?
Many thought that this mega investigation was slowly coming to its conclusion, but that is not the case. In any case, not before May 2024 at least. “We have the impression that no one wants to bother with this issue before the elections, both at federal and European level. And when will these elections take place? Mid-2024”, we are whispered.
In the meantime, the requested procedural review should, in principle, prevent further investigative duties.
What if the legal proceedings on Qatargate were deflating, sending this 25-case file back into the closet? For some, the September 19 hearing is akin to a “first class funeral”. For others, it’s more nuanced. “Those charged will have peace for a while. But nothing prevents the investigation from continuing with regard to people who, until now, have not been worried, since the investigation will now focus on everything that has not been investigated.” , we observe.
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