On Sunday (December 11), Belgian prosecutors charged four people over allegedly receiving money and gifts from a Gulf state to influence decisions in the European Parliament (EP). Beginning on Friday (December 9), 16 houses were raided by Belgian authorities as a part of an ongoing investigation into corruption and money laundering. The search yielded, along with the usual cache of computers and mobile phones, a suitcase containing 600,000 euros (more than Rs 5.22 crore). Six persons were initially detained for questioning. Four of them, including Greek Member of European Parliament (MEP) and EP Vice President Eva Kaili, have since been arrested and charged. “For several months, investigators of the Federal Judicial Police have suspected a Gulf country to influence the economic and political decisions of the European Parliament,” the Belgian prosecutor’s office said in its news release. “This is done so by paying large sums of money or offering large gifts to third parties with a significant political and/or strategic position within the European Parliament.” Local news reports have since named Qatar as the gulf state involved, a claim that Qatar has so far rejected. The Indian Express takes a look into the developing situation and the larger geopolitical context in which it plays out. What is the European Parliament? Seated in Brussels, Belgium, the EP is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union (EU) which has the power to adopt and amend legislative proposals and to decide on the EU budget. It is made up of 705 Members elected in the 27 Member States of the EU through direct universal suffrage. Representation in the EP is proportional to the population of the member state, with MEPs grouped in terms of political affiliation rather than nationality. For example, Eva Kaili was a part of the centrist Socialists and Democrats group. MEPs are powerful politicians in Europe, wielding influence on a wide range of economic, foreign policy and political matters. Who was arrested? According to Belgian outlets, Knack and Le Soir, the investigation was into suspected attempts by Qatar to corrupt an Italian Socialist former MEP, Pier-Antonio Panzeri, who currently heads a Brussels-based human rights organization called Fight Impunity. He is suspected to be one of the four arrested, along with secretary general of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Italian Luca Visentini, EP Vice President Eva Kaili, and her partner and an aide to an EP lawmaker, Francesco Giorgi. Kaili’s father Alexandros and Belgian Socialist party member Marc Tarabella were also involved in the investigation, though they have not yet been charged. In the past, Kaili and Visentini have publicly praised Qatar for the progress it has made in various areas in the lead-up to World Cup 2022. In a speech to the EP, Kaili said, “The World Cup in Qatar is proof, actually, of how sports diplomacy can achieve a historical transformation of a country with reforms that inspired the Arab world…Qatar is a frontrunner in labour rights, abolishing kafala and reducing minimum wage… Still, some here are calling to discriminate them. They bully them and they accuse everyone that talks to them or engages of corruption.” As an MEP, Kaili shares the responsibility for Middle Eastern Affairs and had recently visited Qatar. Furthermore, IUTC has been one of the notable exceptions among labour and builders’ unions with respect to their stance on Qatar, openly asking critics to “go look at the change in the country.” These arrests occurred just as the EP was due to vote on a proposal to extend visa-free travel to the EU for Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Ecuador, later this week. The EP will decide later today on whether to postpone the debate on these issues till more facts emerge. Why would Qatar “lobby” the European Parliament and other institutions? Qatar has been under the spotlight ever since it shocked the world by winning the bid for the 2022 World Cup. Its questionable human rights record, poor working conditions for millions of migrant workers, and allegations of corruption in its bid for the World Cup have captured the attention of people across the world. In this context, any additional PR support would be welcome, especially in Europe where the backlash against Qatar has been the harshest. Further, as the Ukraine war has plunged Europe’s oil economy into chaos, Qatar is one of the foremost alternatives to supply Europe. A foothold in the EP is likely to aid Qatar in getting favourable deals. What has the fallout been? In what might be the biggest scandal to ever rock the European Parliament, the fallout has been swift. Eva Kaili was expelled from the Greek political party Pasok and suspended by her EP group. "Certainly the news is very worrisome," European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters as he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. Transparency International chief Michiel van Hulten claimed that the EP was infested with a “culture of impunity … with a combination of lax financial rules and controls and a complete lack of independent (or indeed any) ethics oversight.”
