The European Parliament removed one of its vice presidents Tuesday as a corruption scandal related to Qatar reverberates through the bloc, according to Bloomberg.
Eva Kaili, a Greek lawmaker and a vice president of the parliament, was stripped of her role after she was charged in the probe, in which Belgian police have seized €750,000 in addition to several hundred thousand more euros stuffed in a suitcase. Antonio Panzeri, a former Italian deputy, has also been arrested, according to media reports.
Belgian police on Monday searched the parliament to seize data of 10 parliamentary staff that had been frozen to prevent its disappearance, according to a statement by Belgian prosecutors. A total of 20 searches have been carried out as part of the probe, including some in Italy.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told reporters Tuesday that she would “leave no stone unturned” in fighting against efforts by third countries to influence the actions of the legislative branch. She added that she doesn’t want to let the investigation and its aftermath “tarnish an institution that has fought so proudly on rule of law and against corruption.”
The investigation is expected to become up when European Union leaders meet in Brussels for a summit on Thursday, officials said.
Belgian federal police have spearheaded 20 searches so far at homes and apartments of lawmakers and aides starting Friday in a probe that prosecutors said involved large sums of money being paid to influence the decisions of the European Parliament.
Qatar and Morocco were cited in some of the legal documents, according to a person familiar with the matter. Four people were charged with corruption and money laundering.
The probe puts Qatar in the spotlight as it’s hosting the World Cup football tournament and is being courted by European governments eager to boost their purchases of natural gas. Investigators suspect that the payments were part of a broader effort by Qatar to burnish its image amid harsh criticism of its labor and human rights practices, according to media reports.
A Qatari official said the government rejected any connection to accusations of misconduct and that any association with the allegations is baseless.