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
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Spain Scraps F-35 Jet Deal as Trump Pushes for More NATO Spending
France Faces Largest Wildfire Since 1949 as Blazes Rage Across Aude
French Senate Report Alleges State Cover‑Up in Perrier ‘Natural Mineral Water’ Scandal
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Britain's Online Safety Law Sparks Outcry Over Privacy, Free Speech, and Mass Surveillance
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Grok 4 Video plus Voice, can identify wildlife!
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
The UK Does Not Have a ‘Far-Right’ Problem
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
JD Vance Warns Europe Faces “Civilizational Suicide” Over Open Borders and Speech Limits
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
×