Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Brussels cops raid more EU Parliament offices in Qatar probe

Brussels cops raid more EU Parliament offices in Qatar probe

European Parliament VP Eva Kaili has been charged in corruption scandal.
Brussels police launched another series of raids Monday in a snowballing corruption scandal related to Qatari lobbying in the EU, according to Belgian federal prosecutors.

The dragnet has already ensnared one senior European Parliament member, Vice President Eva Kaili — and now appears poised to nab even more targets.

The prosecutors said Monday that they had now searched 19 residences and offices, plus the myriad Parliament offices that have now been probed and cordoned off. Six people have now been arrested, with four still in detention.

Other details read like an old-school, money-under-the-table scheme.

There was a cash-filled suitcase seized in a Brussels hotel room containing several hundred thousand euros. Police discovered another €600,000 in a single residence. And one EU lawmaker’s apartment contained €150,000 in bills.

Prosecutors said the latest raids were intended to snatch IT equipment from Parliament staff before any data could be wiped.

The four suspects still being held will appear in court Wednesday, the prosecutors confirmed.

Others enmeshed in the scandal include Kaili’s partner, Francesco Giorgi, a Parliament adviser, and Pier Antonio Panzeri, a prominent ex-MEP who runs the NGO Fight Impunity, which boasted close links to left-wing political figures.

The explosive revelations have rocked Brussels, with officials nervously wondering who might be next. The subject dominated conversations in the halls of Parliament on Monday in Strasbourg, where Parliament President Roberta Metsola vowed to launch a full investigation.

“We will meet this test head-on, there will be no impunity,” Metsola declared. “None.”

Meanwhile, Kaili’s political group, the Socialists & Democrats tried to purge itself of the scandal’s taint on Monday. It expelled Kaili while others with tangential connections to the probes stepped aside from various duties.

But transparency activists suspect the initial discoveries are just the tip of the iceberg on how foreign countries illegally influence the EU. At the moment, countries don’t have to register in the EU’s transparency database of interest groups and MEPs don’t need to report those contacts.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the EU’s top executive, pressed for all EU institutions to adopt identical — and strict — transparency standards.

“It is a question of confidence of people into our institutions,” she said at a press conference. “And this confidence of trust into our institutions needs [the] highest standards of independence and integrity.”

But von der Leyen herself has failed to erect a long-promised independent ethics oversight board that would police both current and former EU officials, with the proposal getting watered down over time.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
German Chancellor Merz expects Ukraine war to last a long time
Why Hungarians feel poorer than their neighbours despite rising wages
Fidesz minister vows Hungary will ‘rescue’ a crisis-stricken EU
Budapest completes back-to-school infrastructure upgrade
Hungarian–Chinese consortium wins tender for Budapest trolleybuses
Betting market fuels speculation about Viktor Orbán’s future
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Trump Administration Seeks to Repurpose $4.9 Billion in Foreign Aid
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
×