European Parliament's Kaili ousted from post as she denies corruption charges (updated)

Kaili Resources

13/12/2022 09:22

(Adds Kaili set to lose VP role, details)
    By Karolina Tagaris  and Charlotte Van Campenhout
       ATHENS/BRUSSELS, Dec 13 (Reuters) - 
    The European Parliament's political groups voted on Tuesday
to strip Eva Kaili of her role as vice president over a major
corruption scandal, just as her lawyer said she denied any
wrongdoing in her first public comment on the case.
  
    Kaili, one of 14 vice presidents of the parliament, was
among four people arrested and charged in Belgium at the weekend
over allegations that World Cup host Qatar lavished them with
cash and gifts to influence decision-making.
    The scandal has triggered outrage in Brussels and raised
concerns among EU lawmakers and political leaders that the
incident could further dent the EU's image at home and abroad,
prompting the assembly to quickly cut ties with Kaili.
    The European Parliament sees itself as a moral compass in
Brussels, issuing resolutions critical of human rights abuses
across the globe and taking EU governments to task. Germany said
the case had jeopardised the credibility of Europe.
    The decision to remove Kaili was taken by the European
Parliament's conference of presidents in an emergency meeting,
President Roberta Metsola said. The vote now needs to be
confirmed by the whole parliament later on Tuesday.
    Belgian prosecutors said they had suspected for more than
four months that a Gulf state was trying to buy influence in
Brussels. 
    A source with knowledge of the case said the state was
Qatar. Qatar has denied any wrongdoing.
    Greece on Monday froze Kaili's assets in the country.
    Belgian police searched 19 homes and the offices of the
parliament from Friday to Monday and have seized computers,
mobile phones and several hundred thousands of euros in cash.
    Meanwhile, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, a lawyer representing
Kaili in her home country Greece, told Open TV: "Her position is
that she is innocent, I can tell you that."
    "She has nothing to do with financing from Qatar, nothing -
explicitly and unequivocally. That is her position,"
Dimitrakopoulos said, adding that she had "undertaken no
commercial activity in her life".
 (Writing by Karolina Tagaris and Ingrid Melander; Editing by
Arun Koyyur)
 ((karolina.tagaris@thomsonreuters.com; +30 210 3376 455;))