World
EU corruption scandal: Inspector’s leaked secret remarks threaten case
A secretly recorded conversation, to which Euronews has had access, shows a leading police investigator in the so-called Qatargate probe questioning the integrity of both the repentant and the judges.
Suspect Francesco Giorgi – the partner of socialist MEP Eva Kaili, also under investigation in the sprawling graft probe – secretly recorded a conversation with senior Belgian policeman Ceferino Alvarez Rodriguez when he visited Giorgi’s apartment in May last year.
In the recording, which Euronews has obtained, Alvarez Rodriguez accuses former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, the suspected ringleader who has struck a deal with Belgian authorities to reveal all about the corruption case, of lying.
“We don’t believe anything he says,” a transcript of the conversation reads. “We know very well that he is fooling us, we know it. But it’s all going to blow up.”
“When it will blow, it will blow.”
The conversation in French, recorded on Giorgi’s phone, also shows Alvarez Rodriguez complaining about politically-appointed judges.
“I have no trust in the judiciary because justice is pulled by strings, by politicians,” he is reported to have said.
“We cannot trust the judiciary,” he added.
Alvarez Rodriguez worked hand-in-hand with the former judge on the case, Michel Claise, who was forced to step down last June following allegations he was not impartial.
It was revealed that Claise’s son was a business partner to the son of Maria Arena, another socialist MEP embroiled in the scandal but who has not been formally charged, in a medicinal cannabis company.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Claise stepped down “as a matter of caution,” and to “maintain the necessary separation between private and family life and professional responsibilities.”
The recorded conversation, which Giorgi’s legal team has asked to be considered as fresh legal evidence in the case, adds further turmoil to efforts to prosecute the suspects. The numerous debacles in the Belgian investigation have led many to brand the case as ‘Belgium-gate’.
The conversation between Giorgi and Alvarez Rodriguez allegedly took place on May 3 last year, when the investigator stopped by to return Giorgi’s phone, which had been seized during his hearing just days earlier on April 27.
During the visit, Giorgi complained about his laptop, which included confidential notes he drafted with his lawyer, being confiscated by police officers during a search warranted by judge Claise while Giorgi was attending his court hearing on April 27, saying it violated his right to defence.
Responding to Giorgi’s complaints, investigator Alvarez Rodriguez reportedly repeated twice, “that’s the game.”
According to the transcript, the investigator also claims it’s “normal” for his team to have access to Giorgi’s confidential notes, as their content proves that Giorgi has also gained access to their own investigative files.
“You adapt your speech to what is in the file,” the investigator reportedly told Giorgi. “That’s why we don’t put everything in. We’re not idiots, so we know you’re lying to us.”
In a statement, the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office acknowledged the comments attributed to the police officer.
In relation to Panzeri, it said that its investigation involves “verifying the veracity of the statements made by the repentant,” to check whether they comply with the legal requirements for obtaining the repentant status.
The statement adds that “a procedure is currently pending before an independent body (…) to examine the legality of a certain number of investigative acts carried out.”
The transcript of the conversation is one of three files Giorgi’s lawyers have presented to be considered as new evidence in the investigation, according to a document seen by Euronews. They also include the original recording, in video format, as well as a subtitled video prepared by Giorgi.
The corruption scandal saw Giorgi, his partner Kaili and Panzeri accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of euros from Qatari and Moroccan officials in exchange for influencing the decisions of the European Parliament. Both countries have vehemently the allegations.
The case has sent shockwaves across Brussels and forced the European Parliament to clamp down on lax rules on staff conduct.
While both Panzeri and Giorgi have admitted wrongdoing, Kaili continues to defend her innocence.
World
Asia shares rise, dollar underpinned by elevated bond yields
World
US military carries out airstrike in Syria, killing 2 ISIS operatives
The U.S. military conducted an airstrike on Monday in Syria, where they killed a pair of ISIS operatives and destroyed a truckload of weapons, according to U.S. Central Command.
A precision airstrike in the Dayr az Zawr Province, which was formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russians, killed two ISIS operatives and wounded another, CENTCOM said.
TRUMP COULD FACE RENEWED ISIS THREAT IN SYRIA AS TURKEY GOES AFTER US ALLY
The operatives were driving a truckload of weapons, which was destroyed, when they were targeted in the strike.
BIDEN ADMIN LIFTS $10M BOUNTY ON THE HEAD OF LEADER OF ISLAMIST GROUP NOW IN CHARGE OF SYRIA
“This airstrike is part of CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
World
Ciolacu's new government sworn in, tasked with bringing stability
Romania’s new government headed by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the leftist Social Democratic Party took the oath on Monday. The new pro-Europe government has been tasked with providing stability and maintaining the country’s pro-European trajectory.
Ciolacu’s new government received 240 votes in favour, seven more than the required 233 votes for motions to pass.
Eight ministries will be under the Social Democratic Party’s (PSD) control, six will be overseen by the National Liberal Party (PNL) while the remaining two cabinet posts will be taken up by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania.
Romania’s new cabinet members took the oath on Monday before incumbent President Klaus Iohannis.
Iohannis said he spoke with all the new cabinet members, wishing them success and urged them to work in unity for the people of Romania.
Iohannis also said all the ministers he had spoken with had expressed interest in the continuation of Romania’s pro-European trajectory.
On 1 December, Ciolacu’s PSD secured approximately 22% of the votes in an election cycle clouded with controversy.
The parliamentary race came sandwiched between the first and second round of the country’s presidential race, which saw the right-wing make considerable gains in Romania’s political landscape.
Far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians finished in second in the parliamentary race, winning just over 18% of the votes.
Iohannis’ decision to nominate Ciolacu to form a government is widely seen by critics as a tactical push to shut out the far-right.
The country has been thrown into political instability since and Ciolacu understands the task ahead, will be difficult.
“It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Ciolacu said in a statement Monday. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis. It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.”
The parliamentary election came on the heels of a presidential vote in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu won the first round, in which Ciolacu came third. Georgescu’s surprise success plunged Romania into turmoil as allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged.
Days before the 8 December presidential runoff, Romania’s Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race.
President Iohannis, who announced he would stay in his post until a successor is elected, hopes the new government can end a protracted political crisis in the European Union and NATO country.
-
Business1 week ago
Freddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
News1 week ago
East’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.
-
Technology3 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps
-
Politics4 days ago
Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times
-
News4 days ago
Novo Nordisk shares tumble as weight-loss drug trial data disappoints
-
Entertainment5 days ago
'It's a little holiday gift': Inside the Weeknd's free Santa Monica show for his biggest fans
-
Politics1 week ago
Supreme Court may free Catholic charities from paying state unemployment taxes for their employees