EU vice president sacked over corruption allegations in Qatar

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The European Parliament on Tuesday ousted a lawmaker who was arrested over the weekend as part of an investigation into allegations of corruption by Qatar.

The European Parliament decided on Tuesday to end the mandate of Vice-President Eva Kaili, the parliament, the only directly elected EU institution, said in a statement.

Eva Kaili, from Greece, has been a member of the European Parliament since 2014. The decision to strip her title and her position in Brussels comes after Belgian authorities arrested her on Sunday.

The Belgian prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Monday that it had been working for more than four months on an investigation into corruption, money laundering and criminal organization.

Several hundred thousand euros were seized in three different places: 600,000 euros (632,000 dollars) at the home of a suspect, several hundred thousand euros in a suitcase in a Brussels hotel room and around 150,000 euros ( $158,000) in an apartment owned by a member of the European Parliament, prosecutors said.

To date, six individuals have been arrested in this case. Four of them, including a member of the European Parliament, were taken into custody. These suspects will appear before the Pre-Trial Chamber on Wednesday, the same statement added.

Qatar denies allegations

Qatar, which currently hosts the FIFA World Cup, has dismissed the corruption charges. A Qatari official told CNBC on Monday: The State of Qatar categorically rejects any attempt to attach him to charges of misconduct. Any association of the Qatari government with the reported allegations is baseless and grossly misinformed. The State of Qatar works through an institution-to-institution engagement and operates in full compliance with international laws and regulations.

This is not the first time that the European Parliament has been embroiled in an alleged influence scandal. In 2011, four lawmakers were accused of accepting bribes in return for supporting certain policies.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said on Tuesday: I also know that we are not at the end of the road and that we will continue to help with investigations, together with other EU institutions, for as long that it will take. Corruption cannot pay and we played our part in ensuring that these plans did not materialize.

Senior European Parliament officials also said in a statement on Tuesday that they were shocked and deeply concerned by recent revelations about corruption and criminal influence in the institution’s decision-making processes. (CNBC)

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