The European Public Prosecutor's Office can now request the waiver of parliamentary immunity

On Tuesday, January 17, the European Parliament allowed the new European prosecutor's office, which has its sights set on the Greek Eva Kaili, already at the heart of the alleged corruption scandal with Qatar, to request the lifting of immunity for MEPs.

By near-unanimity (610 votes for, 26 votes against and 9 abstentions), MEPs, meeting in Strasbourg, accepted a modification of the institution's rules of procedure allowing the European Public Prosecutor's Office to make requests for the waiver of parliamentary immunity .

Until now, only the authorities of an EU Member State were able to do this.

“Suspicions” around parliamentary assistants

In mid-December, the European Public Prosecutor's Office, an independent body in operation since 2021, called for the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of Eva Kaili, currently imprisoned as part of the investigation into suspicions as well as that of another Greek MEP , Maria Spyraki.

This request does not relate to Qatargate, but to "

" in the remuneration of parliamentary assistants.

Read alsoQatargate: the European Parliament wants to strengthen its internal rules

The modification of the rules of procedure will enter into force on Wednesday January 18 and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, should make the official announcement in the wake of the launch of the procedure for lifting the immunity of Eva Kaili and Maria Spyraki.

This procedure, which has several stages and ends with a vote in the hemicycle, takes several weeks.