Parliamentary adviser Francesco Giorgi, one of the defendants in the corruption scandal known as Qatargate, implicated MEPs Andrea Cozzolino, head of the European Parliament delegation for relations with the Maghreb, and Marc Tarabella in the case this Thursday. .
“Qatargate or Moroccogate?” There are more details about the investigation and they involve a mysterious “giant” and he keeps 9 thousand euros
In an investigation yet to be closed, Belgian police, who was leading this processHe had already carried out raids on Sunday at the home of Belgian Socialist MEP Marc Tarabella.
According to the newspaper Le Soir, Francesco Giorgi, partner of the former vice president of the European Parliament Eva Kaili (also arrested in this case), acknowledged, in statements to the police, his participation in the corruption scheme and indicated that both his compatriot Cozzolino and Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella benefited from the plot through Pier Antonio Panzeri.
So far, the detainees in the framework of this investigation, which is still ongoing, are the now former Vice President of the European Parliament, the Greek Eva Kaili, her partner and adviser, the Italian Francesco Giorgi, her compatriot and former MEP Pier. Antonio Panzeri, in addition to the lobbyist and director of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Sem Paz Sem Justiça, Niccolò Figà-Talamanca, also Italian.
According to the same newspaper, Giorgi said that he handled payments in the organization. used by Qatar to bribe MEPs and assistants to the European Parliament to obtain political and economic favors in the European Union (EU).
Documents to which the Belgian newspaper claims to have had access reveal contacts between Panzeri, Cozzolino and Giorgi and also with Moroccan intelligence services and the country’s ambassador to Poland, Abderrahim Atmun.
As part of the operation, the Belgian police found more than 1.5 million euros in cash during searches of the houses of Kaili and Panzeri.
It was about the arrest of the father of the Greek socialist MEP, last Friday, in a hotel in Brussels, with a suitcase containing “hundreds of thousands of eurosin notes that served to demonstrate the “flagrant crime” and allowed the authorities to arrest Eva Kaili, dismissed this Tuesday from the position of vice-president of the European Parliament.
Francesco Giorgi, Kaili’s partner, will remain in custody after appearing before a Brussels court on Wednesday, along with former Italian Socialist deputy Pier Antonio Panzeri.
Eva Kaili will also remain in pretrial detention at least until she appears in court next Thursday, December 22.
The former vice-president of the European Parliament remains in pretrial detention at least until next week
Source: Observadora
