Kaili says she feels betrayed by EU over corruption allegations in Qatar

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Dec 14 – Eva Kaili, one of the key figures in the latest emerging scandal involving World Cup hosts Qatar, says she feels betrayed by colleagues in the European Parliament who stripped the Greek MEP of her role of vice-president of the assembly.

Kaili (pictured) was dropped after being accused of accepting bribes from Qatar to defend the country’s human rights record and treatment of migrant workers The charges are part of an international investigation into alleged illicit lobbying by Qatar.

Earlier this week it was revealed that a Belgian judge had charged four people with involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering and corruption following a series of searches lasting several days. Prosecutors said cash worth around 600,000 was found in a suspect’s home, 150,000 in an MEP’s flat and 750,000 in a suitcase in a hotel room in Brussels.

One of those detained was Kaili, but her lawyer told Reuters she was extremely upset at the lack of support in the European Parliament.

“She expressed her complaints about the position of her colleagues in the European Parliament,” said lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos.

“She says she feels betrayed when they make her appear as if she has a personal agenda with Qatar and when they imply she was taking bribes.”

Dimitrakopoulos reiterated that Kaili vehemently denied the accusations and said a visit to Qatar in October had been approved by the European Parliament and that she was nothing more than a “beneficiary of Union orders European”.

“Her position is that she didn’t take bribes, she’s innocent, Qatar didn’t need her, they didn’t need to bribe her, she had nothing to offer in Qatar,” he said.

“His decision to go to Qatar was not his personal decision, it was a decision of the European Parliament, with the agreement” of the European Commission and the head of EU foreign policy, Josep Borrell, said added Dimitrakopoulos.

The suspicion of Brussels investigators is that Qatar used money and gifts to influence the decisions of the European Parliament. But Doha has strenuously denied any allegations of misconduct.

Any association of the Qatari government with the reported allegations is baseless and grossly misinformed, an official said earlier this week.

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