Corruption scandal: MEPs Kaili and Tarabella ordered to stay in jail

The pre-trial jail detention of MEPs Eva Kaili and Marc Tarabella, who’re accused of being concerned within the cash-for-favour scheme that has engulfed the European Parliament, was on Friday prolonged by Belgian authorities.

Greek MEP Kaili, who was arrested and jailed in early December, has had her detention prolonged by two months, the Federal prosecutor’s workplace introduced on Friday. Her Belgian counterpart will seem earlier than judges once more in a month.

Each have been charged with participation in a prison organisation, corruption and cash laundering as a part of an investigation into the illicit lobbying allegedly carried out by Qatar and Morocco in a bid to affect EU decision-making. 

Each international locations have vehemently denied the claims.

Tarabella’s lawyer, Maxim Töller, reiterated in a press release that his shopper is “an harmless man” and lambasted his continued detention as “tough to just accept”.

He nonetheless welcomed “as excellent news” the choice to switch him “to a jail nearer to his household”.

There was no phrase on Tarabelle’a makes an attempt to have the investigating decide, Michel Claise, faraway from the case for alleged bias.

Three different folks have been charged as a part of the investigation.

These embrace Francesco Giorgi, Kaili’s life companion and a former parliamentary assistant, who was launched final week however positioned underneath digital monitoring; NGO director Niccolò Figà-Talamanca who was launched from detention final month with out situations; and former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri.

Panzeri, Giorgi’s former boss and a former chair of the Parliament’s delegation for relations with the Maghreb international locations and human rights subcommittee, has recognised being one of many leaders of the prison community and minimize a take care of Belgian authorities however stays in jail.

Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino, for whom Giorgi additionally labored and who additionally chaired the delegation for relations with Maghreb international locations after Panzeri, is in the meantime needed by the Belgian authorities however is combating the extradition from his native nation.