MEP Eva Kaili’s companion, Francesco Giorgi, has confessed to corruption and interference in the service of Morocco and Qatar, Le Soir reported on Thursday.
In front of the police, then Judge Michel Claise, Francesco Giorgi, one of the key men in the alleged file of corruption and interference in the European Parliament and companion of the Greek MEP Eva Kaili, admits having been part of an organization used by both Morocco and Qatar in order to intervene in European affairs, explains Le Soir. The arrest warrant for Francesco Giorgi was confirmed on Wednesday by the Brussels council chamber.
In his confession, Francesco Giorgi acknowledges that his role in “the organization” was to handle cash. And his confessions do not stop there. Francesco Giorgi suspects two people of having received money via Mr. Panzeri: the Italian MEP (S&D group) Andrea Cozzolino and the Belgian Marc Tarabella. The socialist was searched at his home on Saturday evening in the presence of the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
Morocco is concerned in this case of potential corruption by its external intelligence service, the DGED – Directorate General for Studies and Documentation.
According to the documents that Le Soir and La Repubblica were able to consult, Antonio Panzeri, S&D MEP Andrea Cozzolino and assistant Francesco Giorgi were in contact with the DGED and with Abderrahim Atmoun, Morocco’s ambassador to Poland. In addition to Mr. Atmoun, two agents from the Moroccan intelligence service are mentioned in these documents but Le Soir has not been able to contact them.
Reforms announced
The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola addressed Thursday morning the Heads of State and Government of the 27, gathered in Brussels for a one-day summit. The Maltese, shaken in recent days by the alleged corruption scandal affecting her institution, then indicated at a press conference that she had received “lots of supporting brands” from the leaders “compared to the way Parliament has handled the matter so far”.
Trust “must be rebuilt, and that work begins now”. “We need to put things right and send a strong message to external actors trying to undermine us that we will not bend and will stay true to our values”.
The President of Parliament has indicated that she will herself oversee the setting up, by the new year, of a “wide package of reforms”including “a strengthening of the whistleblower protection system” of the institution, but also “a ban on all unofficial friendship groups”. Regarding these groups, she stressed that she might not assume any illegal acts. But assured that there is “for some time there has been a growing demand to be interested in these groups of members”where there is “not enough control over who pays for trips, what you get on those trips, etc”.
She also plans to examine “in depth how we (Parliament) interact with third countries”. “I want to make sure that their interlocutors in the European Parliament are those who remain official”or the designated members of a committee or a delegation. “I think there is a lot of work at this level, in terms of transparency”.
“I would like there to be a new register of mandatory transparency of all meetings of parliamentarians or assistants with actors from third countries, and a new sanctions regime so that this is respected”she announced once more.
Also in these reforms, the Maltese indicates that there will be a review of the code of conduct and the obligations to declare gifts received. While some elements will require longer work, institutions also have the option of acting immediately to ban certain individuals from accessing their buildings, she stressed. “Yesterday, the NGO No Peace without Justice, which would be connected to the ongoing investigation and had eleven accredited people, was suspended”, she announced. This is the NGO whose secretary general, Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, has been arrested, charged and placed under arrest warrant in recent days, along with MEP Eva Kailli, a parliamentary assistant who is also his companion as well as former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri.