Watch live: Roberta Metsola addresses Parliament corruption scandal

Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, is to deal with what is maybe the gravest corruption scandal to hit the hemicycle lately.

Metsola will touch upon the continued scandal throughout her opening speech of December’s plenary at 17.00 CET. The speech will likely be broadcast dwell within the video participant above.

Eva Kaili, one of many Parliament’s vice presidents, was arrested on Friday by Belgian police as a part of a “main investigation” and has been charged with “participation in a prison organisation, cash laundering and corruption.” 

Kaili is suspected of illicit lobbying in favour of a Persian Gulf state, which Belgian media has recognized as Qatar, the controversial host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Greek MEP was reportedly “caught within the act,” the one circumstance that triggers an instantaneous revocation of parliamentary immunity. 5 males, together with Kaili’s husband, Francesco Giorgi, who works as a parliamentary assistant, and former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, had been additionally taken in for questioning.

On high of that, the home of a Belgian MEP, whose identify has not been divulged by the authorities, was raided over the weekend.

Metsola needed to fly again from Malta with the intention to be current for the police search, a authorized requirement underneath Belgian legislation, a spokesperson advised Euronews.

Each single group within the European Parliament has requested {that a} debate on the corruption scandal be held on Thursday. A vote on the matter is to be held later at the moment.

Metsola and political group chairs will in the meantime convene for a Convention of Presidents on Tuesday morning to vote on whether or not to deliver an finish to Kaili’s time period.

Watch the video above to observe Roberta Metsola’s speech.