Corruption affair: EU Parliament: Justice issues further arrest warrants

In the course of investigations into the bribery scandal in the European Parliament, the judiciary issued arrest warrants against two other MEPs. The Belgian social democrat Marc Tarabella and his Italian colleague Andrea Cozzolino are affected, as the Belgian public prosecutor confirmed. The two politicians were arrested on Friday. The then Vice President Eva Kaili from Greece had already been taken into custody in December.

Tarabella is in prison at St Gilles in Brussels. A judge in Naples confirmed the European arrest warrant for Cozzolino on Saturday evening, but put the Italian under house arrest after a night behind bars – because of the low risk of absconding. According to the public prosecutor in Brussels, the 60-year-old should be extradited to Belgium as quickly as possible.

The bribery scandal, which has been rocking parliament for weeks, is about the alleged influence on decisions by the governments of Qatar and Morocco. The public prosecutor’s office has accused the accused of corruption, money laundering and membership in a criminal organization. In addition to the MPs, there are in particular Kaili’s partner Francesco Giorgi – most recently an employee in Cozzolino’s office – and the alleged mastermind Pier-Antonio Panzeri. He was also a former MEP.

Received more than 120,000 euros in cash

MP Tarabella, who was taken into custody on Saturday, is particularly incriminated by statements by the Italian Panzeri. He has stated that he gave Tarabella more than 120,000 euros in cash in several installments for his support in connection with orders from Qatar. Cozzolino is said to have received instructions from his assistant Giorgi for political positions in favor of Qatar and/or Morocco, Italian media reported from the investigators’ files.

In January, Panzeri signed an agreement with the public prosecutor’s office in which he promised to make a comprehensive contribution to clarifying the scandal. The deal stipulates that in return for his cooperation, he will have to spend less time in prison. In addition, his entire acquired assets, which are currently estimated at one million euros, are to be confiscated.

Belgian investigators had already searched the house of social democrat Tarabella in December and later successfully applied to parliament to lift his immunity. Like Cozzolino, he has already been expelled from the Social Democratic Group. On Friday there were further searches at the MP, who is also the mayor of the Belgian municipality of Anthisnes.

protested innocence

According to his lawyer, Tarabella protests his innocence and accuses Panzeri of making false statements. “The only incriminating element against my client is Mr. Panzeri’s comments,” he said on Saturday, according to the Belgian news agency Belga. Tarabella will fight to have his innocence recognized.

The southern Italian Cozzolino, whose parliamentary immunity has also already been lifted, also criticized the investigators’ actions. His lawyers said the arrest was “humiliating and unfounded” over the weekend. Her client had agreed to work with the investigators since December, when the alleged scandal broke.

The scandal has been causing unrest and horror in the European Parliament for weeks. Above all, many MPs are wondering whether there will be more revelations and arrests. In order to reduce the risk of further similar events, the chairmen of the parliamentary groups approved the first reforms last Wednesday to better prevent corruption. The reporting requirements for meetings with diplomats and interest representatives from non-EU countries are to be expanded. In addition, a ban on certain “friend groups” with contacts to third countries and greater cooperation with national authorities are planned.