EU lawmaker arrested in Qatar corruption probe
A top-ranking member of the European Parliament has been suspended from her job after being arrested by Belgian police in a Qatar World Cup corruption probe.
Greek MEP Eva Kaili was suspended from her job as one of the EU parliament’s fourteen vice-presidents after being detained in the investigation into potential bribes paid by Qatar, Belgian newspaper Le Soir first reported.
Kaili was one of five people arrested after Belgian police seized phones, computers, and €600,000 in cash following a series of morning raids on Friday 9 December.
A former Italian MEP and a trade union official were among the five people arrested alongside Kaili, according to reports.
Kaili was subsequently stripped of her membership in Greece’s left-wing Pasok party following the news.
The arrests come after Belgian authorities launched an investigation into claims Qatar paid cash bribes to EU insiders to influence the European Parliament’s economic and political decisions.
Kaili, a former TV broadcaster who became a MEP in 2014, previously defended Qatar’s human rights record in November in claiming the Gulf state is a “frontrunner in labour rights”.
EU parliament president Roberta Metsola said the body “stands firmly against corruption” as she confirmed the parliament “will cooperate fully with all relevant law enforcement.”