Former Vice President of the European Parliament, eva kaili, you will be able to leave prison in the next few days. In this way, one of the main suspects in the corruption scandal dubbed Qatargate will remain preventively under house arrest and will be controlled with an electronic bracelet. This step taken by the Belgian courts does not mean that the trial will begin soon or any change in the charges against the defendants, consisting of corruption, criminal organization and money laundering.
Kaili had been in prison since last December, when she was caught in flagrante delicto, which led to her being brought before the court for questioning despite her immunity as a member of the European Parliament. The response of the Eurocámara after learning the facts was withering and a few days later she was suspended as vice president of the community institution and expelled from the party. It is believed that this plot was aimed at whiten the image of Morocco, Qatar and Mauritania in exchange for cash and gifts.
Although this house arrest decision will be reviewed by the Belgian courts, it seems a logical step since the rest of those involved in this plot had already been released and remained in their homes. Among them, Eva Kaili’s partner, Francesco Giorgio. Everything indicates that this was the link between the Greek MEP and the mastermind of the case, Pier Antonio Panzeri, for whom he worked as an assistant and who also became his protector. This former MEP was also released since he agreed with the Belgian Prosecutor’s Office to accept a “repentance agreement”. In exchange for pulling the plug and collaborating with justice, Panzeri promised to give truthful information in exchange for a reduction in his sentence. The former Italian MEP remained in the European Parliament until 2019, when he was not re-elected, although he created a cover organization that in theory fought for the defense of human rights.
After Panzeri agreed with the prosecution, the Belgian MEP was jailed Marc Tarabella, who also remains under house arrest after his stay in prison and the withdrawal of his parliamentary immunity. The only one of those involved who remains in a different situation is the Italian MEP, Andrea Cozzolino, who was in his home country when his arrest was ordered. The Italian court in charge of the case has once again postponed the hearing to discuss his possible extradition to Belgium.
Kaili has always proclaimed her innocence and his lawyers had denounced the conditions of the jail in which he has been confined and the few occasions in which he has been able to see his daughter, only two years old.
Following raids carried out in December by the Belgian police, more than one million euros in cash were seized, apart from jewellery. Furthermore, it is known that Panzeri was also feted with luxury stays in Morocco. Eva Kaili’s father was surprised at the Sofitel hotel in Brussels with a briefcase in which he kept money, allegedly related to this plot. This fact caused investigators to enter the home that Kaili shared with her partner and find more money in her home and gold medals from Qatar, which precipitated her arrest.
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