Qatar government has reiterated that the country has no involvement in the corruption case being investigated by Belgian authorities involving people linked to the European Parliament.
Recall that Belgian authorities charged four people linked to the European Parliament over allegations that World Cup host Qatar lavished them with cash and gifts to influence decision-making. Qatar has previously denied any wrongdoing.
In a fresh statement, a diplomat from Qatar’s mission to the European Union said the country had been “exclusively criticized and attacked” in the investigation and was deeply disappointed that the Belgian government “made no effort to engage with our government to establish the facts.”
The statement added that “limiting dialogue and cooperation” on the issue before a legal process has ended will negatively affect security cooperation and discussions on global energy security.
It is imperative to note that the four people which include former vice-president of the European Parliament Eva Kaili, were charged with participation in a criminal organisation, corruption and money laundering. NCNC had reported that Kali has been stripped off her VP position.
Investigators reportedly recovered over €1.5 million of cash in suitcases and briefcases in searches carried out recently with pictures released by the Belgian police going viral.
Harping on the issue, Transparency International’s Michiel van Hulten had said “I’m not shocked that there is corruption in the Parliament, but I am shocked by the scale of it”.
.“The sheer numbers involved, numbers of MEPs, former MEP staff, but also the size of the amounts, that’s really unprecedented,” he said adding that more people are likely to be implicated.
The former MEP believes the system is rotten to its core and that there is a culture of impunity that allowed this kind of incident to happen.
Irish European Affairs Minister Thomas Byrne said “I think the magnitude of it is deeply shocking and it is surprising, quite frankly, that this would happen in this day and age”.
He expressed his support for the Irish Taoiseach’s call for an EU-wide ethics body. “That is the correct response in this particular scenario that needs to be as strong as possible and needs to cover all of the lawmaking processes in the European Union.”
Meanwhile, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has promised a wide-ranging reform package to tackle corruption among MEPS including more protection for whistleblowers and a ban on so-called friendship groups.
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