The corruption scandal embroiling the European parliament and the European Union’s institutions at the highest level is shaping up to be its biggest to date. Belgian police have arrested Eva Kaili, a vice-president of the parliament, and three others in an investigation into alleged bribes involving spectacular sums in cash, allegedly from Qatar, to influence EU officials and parliamentary voting.
‘The shockwave of ‘Qatargate’ is Le Monde’s take on a story it says threatens to ‘destabilise Europe’s institutions’. This isn’t an exaggeration: the probe ripples out to the whole progressive ecosystem surrounding the parliament. Among the suspects, according to the BBC, is former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who now manages the human rights group Fight Impunity. The European parliament has scheduled an emergency debate and has already stripped Kaili of her roles, which involved relations with the Middle East.
The EU’s most vocal critic, Viktor Orban, is gloating at the story
Collateral damage is already visible.
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