{"id":121755,"date":"2023-12-02T08:29:34","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T08:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leviolonrouge.com\/?p=121755"},"modified":"2023-12-02T08:29:34","modified_gmt":"2023-12-02T08:29:34","slug":"qatar-and-morocco-corruption-claims-highlight-eus-sloppy-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leviolonrouge.com\/politics\/qatar-and-morocco-corruption-claims-highlight-eus-sloppy-standards\/","title":{"rendered":"Qatar and Morocco corruption claims highlight EU’s ‘sloppy standards’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Allegations of corruption levelled against members of the European Parliament in respect of their dealings with Qatar and Morocco are indicative of \u201csloppy standards\u201d, a Brussels-based insider has said.<\/p>\n

\u201cQatargate\u201d relates to an ongoing police probe into various MEPs, including Greece\u2019s Eva Kailli and Italy\u2019s Antonio Panzeri, as well as other officials. All of them have allegedly been influenced by the governments of Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania, engaging in corruption, money laundering, and organised crime.<\/p>\n

Pieter Cleppe, editor-in-chief of BrusselsReport.EU, told Express.co.uk the chaotic situation proved the bloc was “anything but prepared” for similar controversies in the future.<\/p>\n

Mr Cleppe told Express.co.uk: “It is no surprise to see sloppy standards when it comes to the European Parliament. Whether there was corruption or not in this case, will need to be determined by the judicial authorities, but what we can already see now, is that the European Parliament is anything but prepared to take drastic measures to prevent future corruption scandals.”<\/p>\n

Given Ms Kailli was arrested days after the end of the 2022 World Cup finals, which were hosted by Qatar, the desert kingdom has been the focus of the bulk of the attention. However, links with the other two countries are also under the microscope, and the influence of Morocco, which coincidentally reached the semi-finals of the competition, was the subject of a lengthy analysis published earlier this week.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: <\/strong> EU lecturing UK on Rwanda shows Brussels still doesn\u2019t get it, says Brexiteer<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The investigation was triggered by a tip-off from \u201da trusted European intelligence service\u201d that two Italian MEPs had accepted bribes from Moroccan spies \u201dto promote the Kingdom\u2019s interests\u201d in the chamber, according to a Belgian secret services report obtained by Politico. Authorities subsequently issued a warrant for the arrest of Abderrahim Atmoun, Morocco\u2019s ambassador to Poland.<\/p>\n

Panzeri described him as \u201can extroverted person\u201d who \u201cwanted to know the largest number of people possible\u201d, adding: \u201cAnd certainly, those who could be useful for the Moroccan cause\u201d. One Brussels-based lobbyist described Morocco as \u201cone of the most aggressive\u201d countries they had seen in terms of trying to influence officials.<\/p>\n

In addition to Ms Kailli and Mr Panzeri, Ms Kailli\u2019s partner, Francesco Giorgi, and Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, Secretary-General of the NGO No Peace Without Justice, were among those arrested. On December 15, 2022, Giorgi confessed to accepting bribes for Qatari officials as well as receiving funds from the Moroccan government.<\/p>\n

He denied Ms Kailli\u2019s involvement, but implicated Panzeri and Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella. The following month, Panzeri pleaded guilty to his part in the conspiracy in accordance with a plea deal struck with the Belgian authorities.<\/p>\n

Ms Kailli has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In September she anounced that she was launching a lawsuit against the Belgian justice system, alleging the country\u2019s police and secret services had violated her parliamentary immunity. She is therefore arguing any evidence gathered against her is illegitimate because investigators did not go through the proper channels.<\/p>\n

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