Belgian police arrested local Social Democrat MEP Marc Tarabella on Friday (Photo) for questioning as part of an investigation into the alleged case of corruption linked to Qatar, Morocco and the European Parliament. In turn, and for the same reason, the Italian MEP Andrew Cozzolino was arrested under a European arrest warrant at the exit of a clinic in Napleswhere he went for medical examinations, according to the local agency Ansa.
safe inspection
Sources from the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office reported that inspection operations were carried out on a safe belonging to the Belgian MEP 59 years old in the city of Liège and in the offices of the Anthisnes town hall, where he is mayor. The judge investigating the case will decide on the day if the MEP should appear before him, prosecutors said.
for his part Cozzolino “is suspected of having participated in an agreement with other people to collaborate in order to protect the interests of foreign States in the European Parliament”, according to a parliamentary report. The document states that the MEP prevented “the adoption of parliamentary resolutions that could harm the interests of these States, in exchange for money.”
Last week, the European Parliament lifted the parliamentary immunity of Tarabella and Cozzolino, following a request from Belgian investigators. Both legislators insist they are innocent. Tarabella even participated in the session and voted to waive her own parliamentary immunity, as a chance to clear her name.
The others involved
Three other people are detained because of the scandal, which broke out when suitcases with cash worth the equivalent of more than a million and a half dollars were found in the homes of the suspects.
Among those arrested is the Greek MEP Eva Kaili, who held one of the 14 vice-presidencies of the European Parliament, his partner the parliamentary adviser Francesco Giorgiand the former Italian Eurolegislator Pier Antonio Panzeri. The Italian had also been arrested Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, although this week he was released. Panzeri, for his part, signed a judicial cooperation agreement with the Belgian authorities.