4 charged with bribery in Qatar corruption probe

Belgian authorities have announced other charges, including money laundering, in a case involving current and former members of the European Parliament.

BRUSSELS - Belgium's federal prosecutor's office announced on Sunday that it has charged four people with corruption and other crimes in a major bribery investigation. alleged de-vin from Qatar to current and former officials and legislators in the European Parliament.

The prosecutor did not name any of the accused persons and named only a "Gulf State" when the charges were announced in this case. But a Belgian official directly involved in the case said the country allegedly involved was Qatar. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

The prosecutor said that of six people questioned on Friday, two had was released without being charged. Belgian authorities raided 16 homes on Friday and raided one residence on Saturday. They confiscated a bag containing 600,000 euros ($632,000) in cash, along with computers, phones and other evidence, the prosecutor said.

"It is suspected that third parties in political and/or strategic positions in the European Parliament have been paid large sums of money or offered substantial gifts to influence the decisions of Parliament," the Belgian prosecutor's office said on Sunday. a statement.

The Belgian official and European Parliament officials said that of the six people arrested on Friday, one was Eva Kaili, a high-level MEP of Greece and one of the vice-presidents of the Parliament.

Others included Ms Kaili's life partner, Francesco Giorgi, who works as an assistant to a European legislator ; Luca Visentini, the recently elected leader of the International Trade Union Confederation, the global workers' union; Pier Antonio Panzeri, former Member of the European Parliament; and Mrs. Kaili's father, Alexandros. The identity of the sixth person was not known.

ImagePier Antonio Panzeri, former member of the European Parliament from Italy, was among those interviewed as part of the investigation, officials said.Credit...Stephanie Lecocq/EPA, via Shutterstock Qatar hosts the Men's World Cup in a context of heightened surveillance.

The scandal threatens to embarrass the Qatari government, which has been criticized for exploiting migrant workers who have helped build the infrastructure of the tournament. Additionally, the authoritarian country's criminalization of homosexuality has become a flashpoint between some Western teams and fans and FIFA, world football's governing body. And corruption was also already at the center of concerns.

"The State of Qatar categorically rejects any attempt to attach him to charges of misconduct," said said the Qatar Embassy to the European Union said in a statement on Sunday. "Any association with the Qatari government with the reported allegations is baseless and grossly misinformed."

The Belgian prosecutor said on Sunday that the charges against the four people arrested were corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization.