"If a person becomes just a symbol, and is symbolically detained because he is famous as a Vice-President of the European Parliament, then it doesn't make any sense."
This was stated by Eva Kaili's lawyer, Sven Mary, at the end of the hearing for the review of the precautionary custody of Greek politics, underlining that "
today there is no risk of destruction of evidence, nor of collusion"
.
"We have asked for Ms. Kaili's release with conditions and, if it is not accepted, we have asked for house arrest," he added.
"Eva Kaili's detention conditions are difficult, her place is not Haren prison, she has to stay at home with her 24-month-old daughter".
This was stated by lawyer Sven Mary speaking with the press on the sidelines of the hearing on the review of the pre-trial detention of the former vice president of the European Parliament in prison since 9 December in the context of Qatargate.
"We will ask for her release or for an electronic surveillance regime to be put in place for her," he added.
The legal team of MEP
Marc Tarabella
, arrested last Saturday as part of the
Qatargate investigation
meanwhile proposed a recusal motion against the investigating judge Michael Claise "on legitimate suspicion".
This was announced by lawyer Maxim Toeller before the start of the hearing to validate the detention of the Belgian politician.
"According to the judicial code, 'any judge can be challenged if there is a legitimate suspicion'. And there are legitimate suspicions: on several occasions we have been able to ask ourselves about respect for the presumption of innocence", highlights the lawyer.
"With Mr. Tarabella, who took the floor, we once again fully disputed the charges against him and we will continue to do so. He repeated that he was innocent and argued his reasons. We have had access to the documents and in our opinion they do not justify preventive detention.
This is why we ask for his pure and simple release
". The lawyer of the Belgian MEP, Maxim Toller, said this at the end of the hearing for the validation of the pre-trial detention. "It seems to us that there was a good listening" from the of the judges "and the decision will arrive today," he said.
"In this investigation, we have the impression that preventive detention is used to put pressure" on suspects and "to obtain something" from those who "have recourse to the statute repentant, depriving others in particular of seeing their children.
In the face of an investigation that detects an attack on democracy, it is necessary to resort to a rigorous application of the law". This was stated by Maxim Toeller, the lawyer of the MEP Marc Tarabella, at the end of the hearing for the validation of the custody in the Qatargate "We have made the request for recusal because we believe that the presumption of innocence has been violated".
"I was able to access the dossier" of the Qatargate investigation "and I can say that there are other elements that are not coming out, and that
the press leaks were clearly directed
.
I deeply regret it, because it is an attack on the presumption of innocence". Thus Maxim Toeller, lawyer of the Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella, at the end of the hearing for the validation of the pre-trial detention at the Palais de Justice in Brussels. "The leaks " which emerged during the Belgian maxi-investigation "are absolutely shocking" and "have been systematically oriented" because the information "is revealed" only when it is "against" the suspects "and not when it is in favor", attacked the lawyer, referring to "unsuccessful" searches, i.e. without the discovery of evidence against Tarabella, never published in the press.
The hearings scheduled today in the Council Chamber of the Brussels court for the validation of the pre-trial detention of Eva Kaili, Marc Tarabella and Antonio Panzeri in the context of Qatargate were therefore suspended pending Claise's replacement.
"Claise cannot be present today because there is a request for recusal and - explained Sven Mary - it means that the judge can no longer perform his function until the Court of Appeal expresses his opinion on the request or he himself decides to leave the case".