Another development in Qatargate: two MPs will probably soon lose their parliamentary immunity. Both the Belgian judicial authorities and the European Parliament want to get to the bottom of this scandal.
Bags full of money and expensive gifts in exchange for influence in the European Parliament. In short, that is Qatargate, the corruption scandal that unfolded in December.
In a new chapter of this saga, the European Parliament is now looking at whether the parliamentary immunity of two Members can be lifted. It concerns the Belgian PS member Marc Tarabella and the Italian Andrea Cozzolino who probably received bribes. The gentlemen were previously suspended.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is speeding up the process. Parliamentarians cannot be prosecuted for a crime until their immunity has been waived, as they enjoy diplomatic immunity while in office. “Corruption should not pay and we will do everything we can to fight corruption,” Metsola said firmly in a press statement.
Qatargate came to light in December. Belgian authorities then raided several MEPs in an investigation into bribery by Qatar and Morocco in exchange for influence at the highest level of the EU.
money laundering
The political scandal involves politicians, political employees, lobbyists, government officials and their families. It is not light fare: they are suspected of corruption, money laundering and organized crime.
Belgium is leading the investigation into the corruption scandal. The Belgian State Security started the intelligence investigation in 2021. The house of the Italian Pier Antonio Panzeri, an important link in Qatargate, was investigated. This led to a judicial investigation.
“This investigation can become to the fight once morest corruption what Sky ECC is to the fight once morest drugs,” said Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld) in an earlier interview with this newspaper. According to the Minister of Justice, there are currently no indications that Belgian MPs have been tried to bribe.
Morocco also plays a role in the scandal, with possible corruption by its intelligence service DGED and the Moroccan ambassador to Poland. It seems that former European Parliament member Pier Antonio Panzeri has been influenced and paid by Morocco for years. The police found tons of cash in his Brussels and Italian home. It is also suspected that he was in contact with the Moroccan spy ‘M118’. This spy is said to be the link between Panzeri and the Moroccan secret service.
Socialists
But the Italian is not the first name to be publicly linked to the corruption scandal. That was the Greek MEP Eva Kaili. She is part of the European Socialists and Democrats group, just like Marc Tarabella and Andrea Cozzolino.
Kaili has been arrested and removed from her position and is detained in Belgium awaiting trial. She denies any form of corruption on her part, her lawyer says. Her partner Francesco Giorgi has confessed to being involved in corruption and interference by Qatar and Morocco. He is an advisor for the Middle East and North Africa in the European Parliament – and works for the NGO Fight Impunity.
Fight Impunity was founded in 2019 by – yes – Pier Antonio Panzeri to promote human rights and bring violators to justice. It is suspected that Panzeri used the NGO as a cover for bribery and influencing the European Parliament. Panzeri is – somewhat ironically – also the former chair of the European Parliament’s subcommittee on human rights.
Natural gas
Qatargate is seen as one of the worst corruption scandals in Brussels. Qatar wanted to buy off influence in the European Parliament on a political and economic level. For example, the country wants to make agreements with EU countries regarding natural gas. Another goal is to achieve visa-free travel for Qataris to the 27 European Schengen countries.
Money in exchange for a positive sound, that was the working method. Eva Kaili defended Qatar on several occasions in 2022. She called the country a “labor rights leader” at a time when there was a lot of global focus on the working conditions of workers in the country.
In November, Kaili spoke at the plenary regarding the “historic transformation” Qatar had gone through as a result of the World Cup. During the meeting, a resolution was passed deploring the deaths of thousands of migrant workers. She also voted for visa liberalization for Qatar and Kuwait in a European Parliament committee of which she was not even a member.
‘Guardian of human rights’ Pier Antonio Panzeri, on the other hand, interfered in European Parliament decisions relevant to Morocco. It would also be Panzeri who instructed assistants of European Parliamentarians to protect Qatar.
The European Parliament wants to get to the bottom of the investigation. Recurrence in the future should also be avoided. President Metsola will set out her reform plans in the coming weeks, she said in a statement. The current rules will be revised, and the internal systems will be improved – also with regard to enforcement.
