EU Parliament rejects Kaili’s immunity defence in Qatargate probe

The European Parliament legal affairs committee (JURI) unanimously decided that Eva Kaili’s immunity defence is inadmissible in the context of the Qatargate investigation, because everything was done ‘by the book’, a note from the parliamentary committee, seen by Euractiv, states.

“Everything had been made ‘by the book’ and […] there was no reason to suspect any mistake and therefore infringements of Eva Kaili’s rights, privileges or immunity,” the note explained.

The Qatargate scandal came to light in December 2022, seeing a handful of MEPs and European Parliament staff arrested and facing corruption charges for allegedly taking money from officials representing the Qatari and Moroccan governments in exchange for political influence. Kaili always denied any wrongdoing.

The Greek EU lawmaker, who was a former vice-president of the European Parliament, was among those arrested and detained. She accused the Belgian prosecutor of violating her rights as a citizen and as a member of the European Parliament.

After the scandal exploded in Brussels, Kaili was first removed as vice-president, then expelled both by the Socialist group at the European Parliament and her corresponding Greek party, Pasok.

The reasoning

The decision followed an exchange of views that the members of the JURI committee had with the Belgian Federal Prosecutor on 7 March.

The debate centred on the validity of Kaili’s request and whether her arrest and ongoing detention met legal standards without infringing on her rights or violating the privileges and immunities of MEPs.

The Belgian prosecutors offered an in-depth account of the events’ timeline, covering the legal avenues explored at each phase of the investigation and the rationale behind the actions taken, which led to the arrest of the former MEP.

Members of the committee asked questions, details and clarification, according to the note, and concluded that no violation of Kaili’s rights took place.

After this decision, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced that Kaili’s request was inadmissible at the opening of the plenary session in Strasbourg this week.

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]