"
We must clean up our institutions
," said Wednesday, December 21 Raphaël Glucksmann, chairman of the special committee on foreign interference in the European Parliament, at the heart of a corruption scandal involving Qatar.
"
Our institutions have been far too open to the interests of foreign regimes which are increasingly wealthy and corrupt
," denounced the MEP on France 2, citing as examples "
Qatar, Russia, China, Azerbaijan
".
Raphaël Glucksmann strongly criticized "
a kind of Far West where foreign regimes can come and do their shopping
".
“The modus operandi is surprising”
If "
we could expect
" a corruption scandal according to Raphaël Glucksmann, "
the modus operandi is surprising, I would never have thought that bags of banknotes could circulate between the European Parliament
".
At the beginning of December, several hundred thousand euros in cash were found at the home of Éva Kaïlí, former vice-president of the European Parliament who was imprisoned in this affair.
Belgian justice suspects her of having acted, in exchange, in favor of Qatari interests within the European body.
The former MEP and president of the human rights commission Antonio Panzeri is also implicated while the Belgian justice continues to investigate.