Eva Kaili: EU public prosecutor's office wants politician's immunity lifted

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Eva Kaili: Arrested and in custody

Photo: Giannis Panagopoulos / Eurokinissi /ANE Edition / IMAGO

The EU politician Eva Kaili, who is suspected of corruption, is already in custody.

But now she faces further consequences.

Because the European public prosecutor's office has intervened and applied for the lifting of Kaili's immunity - due to new allegations, this time of fraud with EU budget funds.

There is a suspicion of fraud to the detriment of the EU budget, the authority based in Luxembourg announced.

It is about the “administration of parliamentary remuneration and in particular the remuneration of accredited parliamentary assistants”.

The basis for the suspicion - independent of the Qatar affair - is an investigation report by the EU anti-fraud authority Olaf.

According to the announcement, the EU public prosecutor's office also applied for the immunity of a second MEP to be lifted.

It is about the Greek Christian Democrat Maria Spyraki (Nea Demokratia).

It may be a while before the immunity of the two is lifted.

Ultimately, the plenary session of the European Parliament decides.

In the focus of the corruption scandal

Greek Eva Kaili is currently in custody in Belgium.

The Belgian judiciary has been investigating suspected corruption, money laundering and foreign influence in the vicinity of the European Parliament for months.

It is said that the Gulf Emirate of Qatar, which is currently hosting the soccer World Cup, tried to influence decisions with gifts of money and goods.

Since Friday, the Belgian judiciary has arrested six suspects.

Four of them are in custody - among them the Greek Eva Kaili, who has since been removed from the European Parliament as Vice-President, her boyfriend, who works as an assistant to a member of parliament, and the former Social Democratic MEP Antonio Panzeri.

On Thursday, the EU Parliament stopped possible agreements with Qatar.

ptz/dpa