Allegations of corruption involving MEPs are ‘very concerning’, as they ‘call into question the institutions of the EU’, Foreign Affairs Minister João Gomes Cravinho said on Monday, adding he expects penalties to be imposed on those who acted improperly.
“Naturally, it is with great concern that I have seen this news, especially because it calls the institutions into question. And the best way to overcome the suspicions about the institutions is to investigate thoroughly and to penalise those who have to be penalised. So that is our hope and expectation,” said the head of Portuguese diplomacy on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Gomes Cravinho was reacting to news of the police investigation launched by the Belgian authorities which led to the arrest of several people, including Vice-President of the European Parliament MEP Eva Kaili. The accused allegedly accepted bribes from Qatar to influence decisions by the Parliament concerning hosting the 2022 football World Cup .
As for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to create an independent ethics body covering all European institutions, Gomes Cravinho showed little enthusiasm, commenting that there are laws and that those who prevaricate will not stop doing so because of “the existence of a commission.”
A Belgian judge decided on Sunday to charge Kaili, a former S&D member (“Party of European Socialists”), along with three other people – including her partner, Francesco Giorgi – with the offences of participating in a criminal organisation, money laundering, and corruption.
On Monday, the Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority confiscated the assets (property, bank accounts, companies) held in the country by the MEP and her close relatives.
The seizure of the assets of Kaili and her close relatives in Greece was ordered by the head of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority and deputy prosecutor of the Greek Supreme Court, Jaralabos Vurliotis, on the grounds that they are possibly derived from illegal activities.
Kaili’s father is also involved in the case, as police caught him in a hotel with a bag containing €600,000 in cash on Friday.
According to Greek media, another €150,000 was found in suitcases at the MEP’s home in Brussels.
The Socialists in the Parliament decided to suspend Kaili from the Parliamentary group on Sunday, while European Parliament President Roberta Metsola suspended her duties as vice-president.
(André Campos/Lusa.pt)
Source: euractiv.com
