Qatar ‘corruption’ scandal rocks EU Parliament

Top MEP Eva Kaili suspended from party as lobbying inquiry threatens to snowball.

By Sarah Wheaton and Nicolas Camut December 9, 2022 2:23 pm CET

A top MEP has been suspended from her party after police launched an investigation into alleged illicit lobbying
activities by Qatar, in what threatens to blow up into a major crisis at the heart of the European Union.

Belgian police searched 16 homes and detained at least four people in and around Brussels on Friday as part of an
inquiry into what prosecutors called “criminal organization, corruption and money laundering,” as first reported by
Belgian media and confirmed to POLITICO by Belgian federal police.

European Parliament vice-president Eva Kaili, from the Greek socialist party Pasok, was said to be among those
detained. She was suspended from the Socialists and Democrats group in the parliament “with immediate effect, in
response to the ongoing investigations,” the EU-level group tweeted late Friday.

The raids triggered a scandal for the Parliament and the Socialists and Democrats group in particular, which has been
criticized over its soft stance on Qatar in the run-up to the football World Cup.

Belgian outlets Le Soir and Knack reported those detained alongside Kaili included Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former
S&D MEP from Italy who chaired the Parliament’s human rights subcommittee. The warrant, seen by POLITICO,
accused Panzeri of “intervening politically with members working at the European Parliament for the benefit of Qatar
and Morocco.” 

Kaili, one of the parliament’s 14 vice-presidents, recently called Qatar a “frontrunner in labor rights”
after meeting with the country’s labor minister, despite deep international concerns about conditions for stadium
construction workers.

The Gulf state has been the subject of recent controversy as the host of the ongoing 2022 World Cup, during which it
has been criticized for its regressive policies toward LGBTQ+ rights and migrant workers.

“For several months, investigators from the Federal Judicial Police suspect a Gulf country of influencing the European
Parliament’s (EP) economic and political decisions,” the prosecutor’s statement added.

Qatar is accused of targeting officials “with a significant political and/or strategic position” at the Parliament, sending
them “substantial amounts of money” and “important gifts,” according to the prosecutor’s statement.

“This is the most shocking integrity scandal in the history of the EU,” said Alberto Alemanno, a law professor at HEC
Paris and outspoken activist on transparency issues. “It unveils the inadequacy of the EU ethics system applicable to
its elected as well as the absence of any attempt at governing foreign influence lobbying.”

Qatar is a massive liquefied natural gas producer and Western politicians have been trying to keep the country sweet
as they try to find alternative sources of energy amid Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Belgian investigators are looking into whether Qatar sought to influence positions in the Parliament in ways that “go
beyond classic lobbying,” according to Knack. The police seized “roughly €600,000 in cash,” cellphones and
computer equipment in the raids.

In a statement, the S&D Group said it was “appalled by the allegations of corruption in the European institutions” and
would “fully cooperate with all investigating authorities.”