"I knew there were suitcases full of money in my house": Qatar-Kaili makes partial confession
Created: 12/21/2022, 10:25 am
By: Jens Kiffmeier
Did she take part in the bribery?
EU politician Eva Kaili is at the center of the EU corruption scandal.
© Steinach/PanamaPicture/Imago/Montage
Now it's out: Eva Kaili made a partial confession in the EU corruption scandal.
Apparently she knew about the activities and the suitcases full of money.
Brussels – Eva Kaili has broken her silence: In the EU corruption scandal, the former Vice President of the European Parliament apparently made a partial confession.
According to consistent reports, the politician admitted before the investigating judge that she knew about the money laundering and bribery activities.
"It's true.
I knew about Mr. Panzeri's activities," the Italian newspaper
La Repubblica
and the Belgian newspaper
Le Soir
quoted the Greek politician from the interrogation.
Accordingly, she is said to have added: "And I knew that there were suitcases full of money in my house."
Eva Kaili: Ex-Vice President Eva Kaili makes a partial confession in the EU corruption scandal
The previous EU Vice President Eva Kaili is at the center of the EU corruption scandal and is said to have been caught "in flagranti".
The social democrat is one of six suspects arrested by Belgian authorities on Friday December 9 in the scandal after a large-scale raid.
Four of them were taken into custody, including Kaili and her partner Francesco Giorgi.
The center of the investigation is the former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who is said to have operated as the head of the corrupt network.
The accusation against the detainees is suspicion of bribery and money laundering.
They are said to have received substantial amounts of money from Qatar in order to influence political decisions in parliament.
During the raid on several apartments and offices, the investigators secured a total of 1.5 million euros in cash.
Cases of money were also found at Kaili's, allegedly the money was hidden under the cradle.
Kaili and Giorgi have a two-year-old daughter together.
Corruption from Qatar: In the EU scandal, Eva Kaili protested her innocence – in contrast to her partner
Until her partial confession, the Greek politician had publicly protested her innocence in the scandal surrounding corruption in Qatar or Morocco.
Only her partner Francesco Giorgi, who also confessed a few days ago, could "give answers about the existence of this money," according to a statement that her lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos gave to the Greek broadcaster
Skai
.
Eva Kaili and her partner: partner Francesco Giorgi should be the link in the network
He had also confirmed the discovery of a large amount of cash.
This is said to have belonged neither to Kaili nor to her partner, but to a third party, it was initially said.
"Ms. Kaili asked her partner what the money was," Dimitrakopoulos told the broadcaster.
The partner replied that the money belonged to someone else.
"Then Ms. Kaili said she didn't allow money that belonged to someone else to be kept in the shared apartment." She is said to have then instructed her father to put the money away and take it to a hotel.
It remains to be seen to what extent this version coincides with the partial confession.
According to the most recent media reports, Kaili only confessed to the investigating judge what the investigators had known for a long time, namely that it was she who warned her father about the searches and instructed him to take the money away.
Kaili is also said to have warned Panzeri and two other MPs.
For investigators, these were two reasons to arrest her.
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The scandal has thrown the European Union (EU) into turmoil.
Many MPs now fear for their good reputation.
"If high-ranking parliamentarians allow themselves to be bribed by a foreign state, that threatens the very foundations of our democracy," Hamburg's CDU member of the Bundestag, Christoph Ploß, warned a few days ago in an interview with
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
In any case, the loss of trust is immense.
What is important is a "quick and comprehensive clarification - above all by the European Social Democrats, from whose ranks several politicians are affected," said Ploß.
They would have to explain how an “apparently corrupt politician” could get into such a high office.
Extradition approved for corruption from Qatar: Panzeri's wife to be brought to Belgium
Against this background, the investigations of the Belgian public prosecutor continue.
The main target is the former MEP Panzeri and his family.
His wife and daughter are said to have brought luxury gifts to Brussels in their luggage, which are said to have been financed from Qatar or Morocco.
The woman denied the allegation through a lawyer, but is currently under house arrest.
There is a European arrest warrant against her.
On Tuesday, an Italian court granted her extradition to Belgium.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament is reviewing all decisions of the past few months relating to Qatar or Morocco.
Among other things, already planned visa facilitations were stopped.
In Germany there are repeated calls to withdraw the Qatar deal on gas.
Goodbye luxury life?
Kaili freely posted her life with her partner, family and child on Instagram
And Kaili?
It was initially unclear whether the former Vice President in the European Parliament would have to remain in prison.
However, investigations against her continue.
In Greece, too, proceedings are underway against Kaili, who has already been deposed by the EU Parliament and expelled from her Pasok party.
In her home country, the corruption investigators are now examining her alleged luxury life with family, partner and child, which the 44-year-old had shared extensively on Instagram in recent years.
(
jkf
)