Judge charges four people in EU parliament corruption probe

A judge in Belgium has charged four people for allegedly accepting bribes from a Gulf state to influence decisions being made in the European Parliament. The charges come amidst an investigation into potential money laundering and corruption that could put the European Union’s credibility at stake.

A judge in Belgium ruled to press charges on four people for allegedly accepting bribes from a Gulf country in order to influence decisions made in the European Parliament. Prosecutors searched 16 homes and seized over $630,000 in Brussels as part of an investigation into potential money laundering and corruption.

Six people were initially detained over the allegations, but four were charged, and two were released. The identities of the individuals involved were not disclosed. Prosecutors had long suspected for months that a Gulf state was trying to influence decisions made in Brussels with various media outlets suggesting that Qatar was the Gulf state that was doing so, an allegation they have denied.

“Any association of the Qatari government with the reported claims is baseless and gravely misinformed,” a Qatari official told Al Jazeera in a statement Sunday. “The State of Qatar works through institution-to-institution engagement and operates in full compliance with international laws and regulations.”

The charges come as the European Parliament is expected to hold a vote on visa-free travel to the EU for citizens of Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Ecuador. Some lawmakers have suggested postponing the debate and the vote that was scheduled for this week.

Over the weekend, the European Parliament said it suspended the powers and duties of one of its vice presidents, Greek Socialist Eva Kaili, due to the investigation. Kaili was also expelled from the ranks of her party, PASOK, but it remains to be seen if Kaili was charged as part of the case.

On Monday, the European Parliament moved to strip Kaili of her position as one of the 14 vice presidents of the chamber as she was confirmed to be one of the four individuals who were charged by Brussels. EU lawmakers convened for a session in Strasbourg, with EU parliament president Roberta Metsola saying that she was launching a procedure to end Kaili’s role as one of the vice presidents.