The Belgian judiciary is pressing ahead with the investigation into the scandal surrounding the alleged bribery of MEPs. An Italian MP has meanwhile been released from prison.
Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino has been placed under house arrest for possible involvement in the EU corruption scandal. A judge in Naples decided on Saturday evening to release the 60-year-old from custody.
Cozzolino was arrested on Friday evening because of a European arrest warrant. Belgian investigators have accused him of having been paid by third countries such as Morocco or Qatar in order to influence decisions by the European Parliament in favor of those countries. The southern Italian protests his innocence.
criticism of arrest
Cozzolino’s lawyers described the arrest as “humiliating and unfounded,” according to the Ansa news agency. Since December, when the alleged scandal broke, her client has always agreed to cooperate with the investigators. His immunity as a MEP was recently lifted.
In their arrest warrant, the public prosecutor’s office in Brussels demands that Cozzolino be extradited to Belgium. A hearing before the Naples Court of Appeal has been scheduled for Tuesday morning. A detention judge initially saw no danger of the man escaping at the weekend, which is why he was released to house arrest after a night in prison.
In December, the EU Parliament was shaken by the corruption scandal involving then-Vice President Eva Kaili. She lost her job on suspicion of corruption. The judiciary charges Kaili and other suspects with involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption. It is about alleged influence on decisions by Qatar and Morocco.
Source: Stern
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